Annual Review 2024
Welcome
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“We must never forget that at the origin of all our charitable and social activity is Christ Himself, who, ‘having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the end.’” So spoke Pope Francis when he addressed Caritas Internationalis in 2023.
Jesus, Scripture records, “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). It is not an exaggeration to say that Caritas Westminster in its activities continues the work of Christ.
Just as he went everywhere — responding to need, providing hope, and giving encouragement — so Caritas Westminster, recognising the dignity of every person, seeks to bring the fullness of Christ’s life to our parish and school communities.
By providing direct support to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society, and empowering our Catholic communities to express through social action who they are, Caritas Westminster is invaluable in our diocese.
I invite you to join me in celebrating the work of Caritas Westminster, giving thanks for all those who make their vital ministry possible.
This Annual Review recounts the activities of Caritas Westminster; may it also inspire us in our journey of faith and service as we read of Christ’s work being carried out in our midst.
With every blessing,
+Paul McAleenan
Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster Chair of Caritas Westminster
From the Director
Dear reader,
2024 marked my first full year as the new Director of Caritas Westminster, and it gives me great pleasure to share with you the many milestones we achieved together over the course of the year.
We were thrilled when Marley, the Caritas Bakhita House therapy cat, made the headlines as National Cat of the Year, raising the profile of our unique response to modern-day slavery. In a similar vein, our award-winning Safe in Faith programme continued to pioneer its distinctive, faith-informed approach to supporting people experiencing domestic abuse; working alongside leading research institutions, raising awareness, and ensuring appropriate help is available for survivors.
At Caritas St Joseph’s we added new options to the list of over 50 courses offered to students with intellectual disabilities, and continued to grow our outreach programme supporting hundreds of families across the diocese. The Caritas Deaf Service also continued to promote inclusion with regular Signed Masses, Bible Study sessions, trips and social events for the Deaf Community, as well as training seminarians and volunteers in British Sign Language (BSL).
Over in Wembley, our Seeds Hub facility expanded its workspace capacity and led two cohorts of entrepreneurs through their incredible training programmes, helping individuals from under-represented backgrounds start and run their own businesses for good. Last but certainly not least, our Caritas Community Development team has been busy delivering vouchers and crisis grants to those in greatest need, working with partner organisations to support social action projects right across the diocese, and helping parishes and schools put Catholic Social Teaching into the heart of their neighbourhoods.
On behalf of the entire Caritas Westminster team, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for your generous support over the past year. We have great plans for 2025, and I hope you will continue to support our mission and get involved in whatever way you can.
Yours in Christ,
Richard Harries Director, Caritas Westminster
Caritas Bakhita House
Caritas Bakhita House is our safe house offering round-the-clock support to survivors of human trafficking and exploitation. Opened in 2015, the centre has supported over 200 women on their journey of recovery, through trauma-informed care, therapeutic activities and a safe, community-focused environment.
Case study
Rosa’s road to recovery
Before arriving at Caritas Bakhita House, Rosa* had been sexually exploited for almost 20 years. Upon arrival, she received a comprehensive assessment and medical examination, which we used to create a personalised support plan for her. While staying with us, she took part in our inhouse drama and music therapy sessions, and we also connected her with local agencies offering psychotherapy and substance abuse rehabilitation. Through months of work and patient support, she gradually began to trust others, and her daily panic attacks are now a thing of the past. When it was time to move on, we assisted her with securing housing through the local council, and helped her to find a part-time job in a supermarket. Her next goal is to put her five languages to use and train as a translator. Rosa regularly comes back to visit, bringing flowers, donations, and hope to our current guests.
*Not her real name
Part of the family
What makes Caritas Bakhita House different from other safe houses is that women can stay for as long as they need; whether that is two days or two years. Community is also a distinguishing feature of life here: guests, staff and volunteers share a meal every evening, taking turns to cook, and living together forms lasting bonds with other guests. Indeed, life at Caritas Bakhita House is something of a family affair; we have had the joy of welcoming a total of 16 babies born to women in our care.
women have stayed at Caritas Bakhita House 30
babies have been born to women whilst staying 3
countries of guest origin
18 languages spoken by guests 12+
30
years of prison sentences secured for perpetrators
Field trips & fluffy friends
Recovering from extensive trauma is a complex and often painful process, and we strive to help our guests find joy during their time here. This year we made national headlines thanks to our resident cat Marley, who won ‘National Cat of the Year’ for his remarkable work and compassion towards our guests. Other staples of our life here are group trips and celebrations, for example to Brighton, our fantastic ‘Cultural Day,’ and a memorable Christmas spent together.
Marley’s life at Caritas Bakhita House.
Caritas St Joseph’s
Caritas St Joseph’s supports people with intellectual disabilities at its lifelong learning centre in Hendon, as well as through an extensive outreach programme across the diocese. We have one mission: to empower people with disabilities to share their gifts, find fulfilment, and share in the life of the Church.
Lifelong Learning in Hendon
2024 saw several exciting developments at Caritas St Joseph’s, including the addition of an accredited Trinity Laban Musical Theatre course to its impressive roster of over 50 courses . Over 200 students participate in activities ranging from cooking to creative arts, fitness, practical skills and one-to-one support. Further afield, our gardening enterprise is growing steadily, with students being commissioned to design and maintain gardens across London.
Case study
Meet Kavita
Kavita has been a student at Caritas St Joseph’s for seven years, and takes part in musical theatre, fitness and acting classes, as well as cooking workshops, floral arrangement sessions and more. Her favourite class is the ‘Soap Studio,’ and she loves socialising with fellow students at the centre. She says: “[It’s] a really good environment – I met my special friend [here], and the classes make me happy.”
students enrolled in Hendon 204 courses and activities were on offer 54
Scan the QR code Achievement Day Celebrating student achievements at
Caritas St Joseph’s.
Caritas Deaf Service
The mission of the Caritas Deaf Service is to enable Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing people of all ages to participate fully in the life of the Church and share their gifts. To do this, our small but hardworking team supports individuals and families across the diocese and beyond, through regular Signed Masses, Bible Study sessions, social events, trips and pilgrimages for the Deaf Community.
Journeying with the Deaf Community
With the Caritas Deaf Service’s team travelling almost 3,000 miles in 2024 (the equivalent of going from London to Bethlehem), it is no surprise that two of this year’s highlights have been pilgrimages. These included the
Case study
Theresa
Theresa* first came to an interpreted Mass after meeting with one of the Caritas Deaf Service team at her parish. She is now a regular at our Signed Masses, and enjoys both worshipping and socialising with her friends from the Deaf Community. This year, she joined us on our pilgrimage to Walsingham, of which she said: “I had a wonderful day. It was totally new for me; it was a moving and powerful experience.”
*Not her real name
The Catholic Deaf Association annual pilgrimage is a highlight in my year, being able to interact with fellow Deaf Catholics from different parts of the UK. The sharing of our faith, as a sign language user, is so very limited. In my own parish, no-one can sign. Walsingham brings us together for a chance to renew and refresh ourselves and each other, mentally and spiritually.
Sr Marika Rebicsek OCV
Catholic Deaf Association’s annual trip to Walsingham, a popular event for members of the wider Catholic Deaf Community, and a visit to Hatfield House as guests of the Marchioness of Salisbury, which included a guided tour interpreted in British Sign Language (BSL) by our team.
Find out more
Being able to have conversations and engage the Deaf Community in the Mass and liturgy has been incredibly useful during my parish placements, and will be of great use in my future ministry.
Seminarian at Allen Hall
Seeds Hub
Seeds Hub is an innovative approach to business development that helps entrepreneurs from lowincome and under-represented backgrounds to break into the start-up industry. Started in Wembley, our mission is to empower communities facing social and economic inequalities, by equipping entrepreneurs with the skills and resources they need to start their own social impact business.
Connect, learn & grow
In 2024 we trained two cohorts of entrepreneurs through our annual Accelerator and Start-Up programmes, supporting 50 businesses through the process of foundation, development or expansion. Our programmes offer a range of expert-led skills workshops, peer-to-peer sessions, dedicated workspaces and mentoring, to support entrepreneurs with every aspect of their journey.
The most valuable part for me was networking, the opportunity to connect with the other participants; everybody came with a huge host of information! I have even created another organisation with two fellow programme participants.
Zeinab Deria
With the help of our Accelerator programme, Zeinab Deria founded Reviving Links, a community interest company focused on preserving cultural heritage and fostering connections.
Co-working for the third sector
As well as our training programmes, our premises offer co-working space to business founders from a range of industries, who choose Seeds Hub for its community-focused atmosphere, dynamic ecosystem and networking opportunities.
Julian Hall is the CEO of Ultra Education and a resident business founder at Seeds Hub, who teaches young people the skills they need to start their own business to foster the next generation of entrepreneurs. This year, Ultra Education secured a £300,000 investment through the Growth Impact Fund, enabling them to reach 900 more students in 2025.
CarTub, a zero-emission, waterless car wash app, has also thrived working at Seeds Hub. CEO Bhavish Mahtani said: “It’s not just having a desk, but having people around you, likeminded people... CarTub definitely benefits from having this space.”
applications received to our training programmes 92 places offered 44 50 businesses supported
Safe in Faith
One in four women in the UK have been subjected to domestic abuse, and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) has been labelled a national emergency. At Safe in Faith, we believe that the Church and other faith communities can serve as a beacon of hope for people experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation, and we work to foster safe, faith-informed support for survivors in our diocese and beyond.
Training counsellors & faith leaders
We provide regular training sessions to psychotherapists and counselling professionals, to help them offer support that is tailored to the needs of believers. We also train clergy, faith leaders and volunteers to create safe spaces for survivors, and signpost people to resources and organisations that can assist them.
As well as parishes in our diocese, we have worked alongside organisations including the Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC), Restored UK, Jewish Women’s Aid, the Faith & VAWG Coalition and others.
Domestic abuse is our most common pastoral problem here, so this training is vital.
Parish priest
There are at least two women [in my parish] in a much safer place this year because of your training and advice.
Parish priest
Informative and invaluable.
A counselling professional
Raising awareness
Another integral aspect of our work is to raise awareness about how domestic abuse affects individuals of faith and their communities. To do this, we collaborate with several faith groups, counselling organisations and academic bodies, to ensure that believers are part of our shared approach to tackling abuse. Our work has featured in a variety of studies, conferences and course modules at St Mary’s University, Bristol University and The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). We are also currently involved in creating a competency framework for counselling and psychotherapy for domestic abuse and faith, which will be the first of its kind in the UK.
Caritas Community Development
Our Community Development team supports parishes and schools across the Diocese of Westminster in a variety of ways, from Catholic Social Teaching (CST) programmes to supporting social action projects. Specialising in areas such as food security, homelessness, refugee support and more, we offer expertise, practical advice and network links to empower communities to address the needs most pressing to them.
Parishes
Our core offering to parishes is our Love in Action programme, designed to accompany parishioners in discerning and addressing the needs of their local community. The programme explores the key strands of CST at Sunday Mass over a six-week period, before inviting parishioners to participate in a workshop that will enable them to plan their own social action project.
This year, our CST Lead accompanied the parish of St Thomas of Canterbury in Royston on their Love in Action journey.
Parishes across the diocese reach out to us to seek support with starting or growing their social action projects. For example, in 2024 we helped 10 diocesan food initiatives to access funding, and are available to support any of the 300+ food projects operating in the diocese.
500+
social action projects running across parishes and schools in our diocese
47,500
people estimated to have been supported by these projects
This is not an isolated academic exercise about learning what the Church teaches, but the practical, local application of those principles to our life in this parish and our commitment to love and serve our neighbours.
Parish priest Fr Philip Knights introducing Royston parishioners to Love in Action
Schools
A highlight of 2024 has been our engagement with diocesan schools, from our Rooted in Love resources for Religious Education in primary schools to our Caritas Ambassadors programme for students in Key Stages 2 and 3.
Sitting within the school curriculum, Rooted in Love introduces children to the values underpinning their Catholic education. This year, the programme took on a life of its own, expanding beyond our diocese to be used by Catholic schools across the UK. We are excited to be piloting a version of the programme for secondary schools.
Caritas Ambassadors builds on religious education at the extracurricular level, by inviting students to deepen their engagement with CST and start their own social action initiative. Projects started by Ambassadors have ranged from supporting
2024...
The resources for all of Caritas Westminster’s work in schools are fantastic, extremely high quality, easy to use and easy to edit where needed.
Mr Tom Booth, Assistant Headteacher, St John XXIII Catholic Primary School, White City
the elderly and the homeless to using Fairtrade and home-grown produce, or raising awareness about the needs of the Deaf Community.
The incredible work of the Caritas Ambassadors at St George’s Catholic Primary School in Enfield was recognised at our Volunteering Awards in November. After reflecting on the principles of CST, six students in Years 3-6 decided to raise money to buy essential items and gifts for people experiencing homelessness, focusing on offering choice and treating those they served with care and respect.
Caritas Ambassadors across 28 diocesan schools
£80,000+
awarded in crisis and funeral grants
£10,000+
‘Warm Welcome’ grants given in winter 2023/24
£85,000+ in vouchers distributed
I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for the invaluable support you provided during a challenging period of financial hardship. Your assistance has been a tremendous help.
We cannot express how relieved we were to learn of this grant being awarded to help us with the costs of my dad’s funeral. It has lifted a huge burden off our shoulders during these challenging times and is helping us not to incur too much debt as a family.
Financial Support
Through our grants and voucher schemes, we also provide direct relief to people across the diocese who are facing economic adversity.
Our crisis and funeral grants help those experiencing bereavement or difficulty meeting essential needs, and are awarded to individuals and families who are referred to us by their parish priest or representatives from other charities. 2024 was also a landmark year for our voucher scheme, which has helped around 25,000 people since its inception in 2020.
This year saw a shift towards greater emphasis on choice and dignity, with beneficiaries being able to select vouchers for food retailers, clothing, energy and other essentials to suit their needs. We were thrilled to have 51 parishes and 54 schools participate in our distribution scheme, which supported over 3,800 people in 2024 alone.
The vouchers are tremendously helpful to parishioners experiencing difficulties... Most say this is the only way that they can get food.
Since 2020...
25,000
people helped through our voucher scheme
International solidarity
As a member of Caritas Internationalis, we at Caritas Westminster uphold the core values of the global Caritas movement, and support our sister charities whenever possible. In October 2024, devastating floods swept across eastern Spain, leading to the tragic loss of over 200 lives and displacing hundreds of families. In response, our friends at Caritas Valencia swiftly mobilised to provide emergency support to those affected. We were pleased to be able to lead fundraising efforts for this cause, enabling parishioners across the Diocese of Westminster to come together and raise over £15,000. This has enabled Caritas Valencia to continue providing essential aid on the ground, distributing necessities and securing emergency shelter to assist vulnerable communities in rebuilding their lives.
We must live the faith, not only with our words, but with our actions.
Pope Francis
Thank you for your support
Our work has always relied on the generosity of supporters who share our dedication to our cause. A quarter of our expenditure is covered by earned income; the rest is funded by philanthropy and the support of parishioners from across the Diocese of Westminster.
We are enormously grateful to our many donors for their support, from one-off and standing donations in aid of our work, to flexible and multi-year funding that allows us to both address pressing needs and plan for the longer term. We thank all the trusts, generous individuals and companies who have sustained our work over the last year.
Please consider supporting our mission, and sharing it with others so they can get involved. Your help really does transform lives.
Donate now via the QR code below, or visit www.caritaswestminster.org.uk/donate
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