PR06.002
24th February 2006

Joy at Cathedral as St Matthew Housing evensong goes down a treat

The work of local charity St Matthew Housing (SMH) was celebrated by choristers at St Edmundsbury Cathedral last Sunday. The evening marked a new relationship between the Cathedral and SMH after its recent move to Bury St Edmunds.

St Matthew Housing was delighted to welcome its founder, Major Richard Carr-Gomm, who recently won a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the ITV Pride of Britain Awards for his work with vulnerable people. The High Sheriff of Suffolk, the Mayor of St Edmundsbury and the Mayor of Ipswich were also in attendance with their wives.

Cannon Michael Hampel, Precentor of St Edmundsbury Cathedral said:

“It's always a privilege to welcome friends and local institutions to St Edmundsbury Cathedral, and it's particularly appropriate as St Matthew Housing moves to Bury St Edmunds, to welcome them and establish a new friendship with this important charity.”

Hazel Shellens, Chair of St Matthew Housing said: “ Whenever it has opened a new house, St Matthew Housing has always sought to involve the local churches and we are therefore particularly delighted to have been invited to participate in this Evensong and given the opportunity to introduce ourselves and our work to a wider audience.”

The event marked a new friendship between St Matthew Housing and St Edmundsbury Cathedral and was an important milestone for the charity .

NOTES TO EDITORS

St Matthew Housing is a non-religious organisation which fully supports all faiths and beliefs. Our aim is to provide help and support for people of all denominations regardless of religious inclination.

About SMH and The Malthouse Project:
St Matthew Housing (SMH) provides housing and support for the homeless or unsuitably housed across East Anglia and the East Midlands. The charity works in a way that enables people to achieve their individual goals, at their own pace and in their own communities. SMH has also recently started work on the Malthouse Project – an initiative which seems to have captured the imagination of Bury St Edmunds.

St Matthew Housing is restoring one of Bury's last remaining undeveloped 17 th Century buildings. The Malthouse in Elsey's Yard, just off Risbygate Street, will become an important landmark for the organisation and the town, providing Bury St Edmunds with an important training and support facility for local people in need.

St Matthew Housing residents and service users will work and train in a café which will be open to the public to enjoy. The project also includes a Heritage Centre which will provide a valued addition to the Town Heritage Trail.