Derby City Mission welcomes Royal visitor

Derby City Mission, a charity which supports the homeless and people in need, recently welcomed a Royal visitor to its headquarters.

His Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, was given a tour of the charity, where he met volunteers, supporters, staff and beneficiaries of its services.

Accompanied by chief executive Reverend Julio Abraham and the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire Liz Fothergill, he spent some time in the charity’s Safe Space, where he was able to understand the efforts of the team who, during the pandemic, maintained the emergency accommodation offer for rough sleepers.

He toured the charity’s Community Shop and Café, which aims to re-instate dignity to those experiencing food insecurities by offering choice to meet their needs more effectively.

He then met volunteers who prepared and delivered vital food parcels during the pandemic, as well as the team from the charity’s Befriending project, who were a lifeline to those experiencing isolation.

He also met the food warehouse volunteers, who manage the stock and preparation of the food bank and the charity’s debt and benefit advice team who support those who need support managing their finances.

And he met the team that led the collaborative efforts at Mount Cook Adventure Centre during the winter in 2020, to house over 90 homeless individuals.

Rev Abraham said: “It was an honour to host High Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, at our busy headquarters.

“His acknowledgement of our work in transforming lives has been a real boost to our staff and volunteers.

“We really hope he left with a great understanding of the passion we have for the individuals we work with and the work we do to see them transformed.”