Ian McCarthy from Swindon Night Shelter - Summer Q&A 2021

Let's continue to celebrate the variety of business owners we have in our region and beyond. Today we're talking to Ian McCarthy the new manager at Swindon Night Shelter. Ian worked for a national bank for more than 30 years before choosing a new direction. He began volunteering at the Swindon Night Shelter and has gone on to become an employee. He will oversee the opening up of the various services provided to support rough sleepers and those who are vulnerably housed in Swindon.

JUNE is the first month of Summer – what will you be doing this summer in your role?

• Managing our day centre – The Haven, supporting homeless  and the vulnerably housed.
• Continuing to develop and build on our support activities on Tuesdays - woodworking, cooking, gardening.
• Looking for opportunities to run table top sales during the summer period to generate funding.
• Develop further our online shop presence in Swindon and Wiltshire.
• Start using our new woodworking workshop which has been newly installed.

What are your personal plans for summer activities?

I'm really looking forward to meeting up with family who live all over the south of England and hope to get some kind of staycation time with my family.  

Does June hold any particular significance for your organisation? 

This month June the day centre will have been open for 2 ½ years! The time is flying by. 

June is National Smile Month. With that in mind, what things in your organisation make you smile? 

• The progress several our guests have made following support received.
• Guests coming back to help with some of the daily practical jobs that need doing to maintain our day centre.  

Are there any things generally which make you ‘less smiley’?

• Generating the funding through our shops. Retail is a challenging place at the moment and we work hard to try and support the communities by providing quality affordable items.
• The challenge of trying to support those who need a roof over their head and it just can not happen quickly.

June is often associated in nature with growth and abundance – what are your plans for growth? 

We are starting to develop some real positive relationships with other key agencies in Swindon who also have a part to play in supporting the homeless. We are also keen to develop our day centre so that we can work together more.

As we hit this mid point in 2021 and we’re still coming out of the pandemic – which one business has really supported or helped you over the last quarter? 

It would be unfair to name just one, we have had some fantastic support from businesses and individuals and all of our volunteers as we try and climb out of this pandemic.

Have you got any events planned for the coming months which you would like to mention?

We're currently looking at plans to re-open our Friday Night Shelter at St Mary’s Church offering a bed for the night for the homeless along with use of shower facilities and a meal. We're hoping this will happen in September. 

And finally:

We're keen to visit a number of the local churches in Swindon who support us and update them on the work and ministry of Swindon Night Shelter. 

For more information visit https://www.swindonnightshelter.uk