This July the Peterborough team held our annual Tenant and Befriender Barbeque. This year the barbeque was hosted by a local church, in the vicarage garden with the community hall open should we need to seek refuge from the unpredictable British weather! Although the skies looked threatening at certain points we (fortunately) did not need to do this.

Forty plus people attended, and there was a vibrant hum of conversation and children’s laughter. We were a diverse group and I was encouraged that it is possible to bring people of all walks of life together. Although, our experiences and circumstances may be different often the challenges we face are not so very different. We can be categorised by society, which separates us but all of us have a common thread and that is our humanity.

As I am writing this blog, the words of a famous song come to mind, ‘Summer time and the livin’ is easy’. Researching that song I have found that the original meaning is anything but ‘livin’ is easy’ but just for that moment on that Monday afternoon, experiencing fellowship together, living was a little easier before going back to face our everyday challenges.

At Hope into Action we are very conscious of the challenges faced by our tenants and are grateful for the part that our church befrienders play in their lives. There is a call to the church to play an active role in society, which means speaking up on behalf of the vulnerable, showing acts of kindness to the marginalised, supporting relevant charities and campaigning for change… and sometimes it can be as simple as attending a barbeque in a vicarage garden!

If you are interested in our work and would like to get involved or have any questions please get in touch 

Contact us 

Rachel Patterson – Empowerment Worker Facilitator