The Wild Goose Cafe is a project run by Crisis Centre Ministries, or 'CCM', a Christian-run local charity based in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. They are a

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

working to improve the lives of socially excluded

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

people and those with addiction problems. It was first established in 1986 by Derek Groves and was originally called 'The Missing Piece'. It is a place where practical needs can be fulfilled; hot meals are available, assistance with finding accommodation, help applying for benefits and providing advice and support. The staff at 'The Goose' put their clients in touch with the resources they need.

Location

On 27 November 2010 CCM opened a new drop-in centre on Stapleton Road, moving from small premises at 12 City Road to a much larger and better equipped building in Easton.

Management

The Cafe is managed by Alan Goddard, aided by his two assistant managers Lisa Mannion and Chris Cherrill. Goddard had a troubled past but "despite his problems, managed to drag himself away from South Wales, and checked into a rehab clinic in Bristol", he overcame his issues and draws upon that experience to lead the team.

Volunteers

The Wild Goose is open throughout the year, run by a small full-time staff and 140 volunteers.

Number of servings

In 2009 they served 80,000 hot meals and helped 344 people into supported accommodation.

Appearance on Channel 4's ''Secret Millionaire'' program

In 2009 a donation of £125,000 was made by

Dawn Gibbins Dawn Gibbins MBE (Later Dawn De Vivre) (1961 – 11 February 2022) was a British entrepreneur and philanthropist. Career Dawn Gibbins founded commercial and industrial flooring company Flowcrete in Sandbach in 1982 alongside her late father, ...

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

after she worked "undercover" at the Goose as part of ''

The Secret Millionaire ''The Secret Millionaire'' is a reality television show which originated in the UK, in which millionaires go incognito into impoverished communities and agree to give away tens of thousands of pounds (or tens of thousands of dollars in the US and ...

'' television program. As Gibbins handed over the money to Assistant Manager Lisa Mannion, she said "this is one of the best nights of my life... knowing that some of those people can move-on and get off of the streets". That money, added to other significant donations, was used to fund the purchase and refurbishment of the new premises on Stapleton Road. In 2010 Gibbins returned to film a follow up to the original broadcast. The program was broadcast on 11 January 2011 and Gibbins explained that her experience working with her supported charities had literally changed her life. She explained that she found Lisa Mannion's "dream" compelling and she "wanted to make this girl's dream come true". During Gibbins' initial conversation with Mannion at the Wild Goose she is told "anyone can come in... you could not have a penny in your pocket or you could have £1M in your pocket".

Notable media campaigns

Manager Alan Goddard's campaign for more homeless hostels in Bristol.

Manager Alan Goddard's warning that the homeless of Bristol may lose their lives in the cold winter of 2010 - 2011.

* ttp://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Bristol-cafe-helps-homeless-come-cold/article-2972623-detail/article.html Bristol cafe helps homeless come in from the cold

References

External links

The Wild Goose Coffee Shop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild Goose Cafe Homelessness charities in the United Kingdom Charities based in Bristol