Catching Lives Latest News: April 2025
- Catching Lives
- Apr 29
- 6 min read
Charity art auction at Streets Ahead
This is your April update from Catching Lives. Online bidding has begun for our charity art auction ahead of a live event at 6.30pm on Thursday 8 May. We have teamed up with Streets Ahead Collective to auction great artwork kindly donated by the local artist community. We’re grateful to all the artists who have donated their work to support this event.
Bidding is via Jumblebee until Wednesday 7 May and then 20 pieces will be selected for the auction at Streets Ahead, on Burgate, Canterbury. We’re really excited about the evening auction, which promises to be a vibrant gathering of local artists, supporters and community members, and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the work of Catching Lives and The Streets Ahead Collective.
If you would like to attend the Catching Lives and Streets Ahead Art Auction, please book a free ticket via Eventbrite.
Read FAQs about the charity art auction here.
Team Catching Lives take on the Kent Charity Trek
Catching Lives will be taking part in the Kent Charity Trek on Saturday 17 May, walking 25km to raise money for our charity. Team Catching Lives so far includes Chief Executive Tasmin Maitland, Fundraising Officer Georgia Jefferson and Trustee, Jerry Hughes.
You can sponsor Team Catching Lives here. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Keep an eye on our Instagram for team updates.
If you want to take part, sign up via the Kent Charity Trek website and select Catching Lives as your cause. It costs £55 to enter and you can raise as much as you like! Please feel free to sign up or contact us if you have any further questions.
Donating items to Catching Lives
Here's a recent photo of our tinned tomato shelf running low. We also completely ran out of sleeping bags last week so would welcome those. These are the items that are most useful to us right now if you'd like to support people experiencing homelessness in Canterbury and east Kent.
Chopped tomatoes, custard (tinned), detergent pods, biscuits, coffee, sugar, cooking oil, instant cappuccino/mocha/latte sachets, hot chocolate, men's t-shirts (long & short sleeved), joggers and jeans S/M/L, weatherproof sleeping bags and tents, strong holdalls/weekend bags.
For the full list of most-needed items, visit our website. Please bring donations to our Day Centre on Station Road East between 9am and 4pm (1.30pm on Wednesdays).
Please note the centre will be closed on Thursday 15 May for team training.
Lord Mayor’s bookshop visit
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress came to visit the Catching Lives bookshop at The Crooked House at the end of March. They met some of the excellent volunteers who run the bookshop and even enjoyed tea in the wonkiest room. The Catching Lives bookshop is located at 28 Palace Street and welcomes donations of books to raise money for our charity.
Crooked House souvenirs
Introducing a new way to support Catching Lives! Our notebooks, tea towels and tote bags feature the historic Crooked House in an image by local artist Amy Harrison.
The new range is available at the Catching Lives Bookshop on Palace Street.
Meet the volunteers
Our Meet the volunteers feature celebrates the amazing people at the heart of Catching Lives. Edward (Eddie) Morrissey has been volunteering in the kitchen since December 2022. Eddie volunteers on Thursdays with his eldest daughter who was already a volunteer with us.
How did you hear about the volunteering opportunity?
Word of mouth.
Why choose Catching Lives?
Catching Lives is a simply a great local charity, directly addressing the basic needs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters. For me, working with other volunteers in preparing and serving up a tasty plate of hot food to these folks is a privilege as well as an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
What are some joys you have experienced since starting with Catching Lives?
I really enjoy cooking and the creative challenge of preparing the tastiest meal possible, using the ingredients that we are provided with on the day. It's a joy working together in a team of like-minded people of all ages and backgrounds, participating in a genuinely worthwhile activity in providing a hot meal for those in need.
Probably one of the greatest joys is when an empty plate is handed back with a comment like: “Oh that was lovely / I really enjoyed that”. That reminds me that the product of our time and efforts in the kitchen that morning i.e. a simple plate of hot food has had a direct, positive impact on that person's life. That's more that enough reward for me.
When I leave Catching Lives at the end of a 4½ hour morning shift, after we've washed and cleaned up, put everything away, ready the next volunteer crew, while I might be tired or even ache a bit sometimes, I always come away with a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that we've just done something, not particularly remarkable but nevertheless amazing, in bringing a little bit of joy or comfort that day on a plate of food to folks far less fortunate than ourselves.
What would you say to someone thinking about volunteering with Catching Lives?
If you think you would find giving your time to help others rewarding, that you'd enjoy working collaboratively and be prepared to be flexible to 'fit in' with the rest of the team on the day performing whatever tasks are needed ranging from peeling and chopping vegetables, hand-washing plates and pots etc. to perhaps (depending on your confidence / skills) having some input in deciding the menu for the day and being the 'lead cook' for one or more dishes, then come along and give it a go. You'll never be given a task that will make you feel uncomfortable or out of your depth and you will be made most welcome, for sure.
Outside of Catching Lives, how do you like to spend your time?
I retired about five years ago, sadly about the time I lost my wife to cancer. I do other charity volunteering including work linked with my local Catholic church. Hobbies include beekeeping, gardening, cooking / entertaining (especially BBQ in summer) trout / salmon and sea fishing, reading and 'pottering' activities like curing my own bacon and making elderflower wine etc. I do lane swimming in the local pool three times a week to try to maintain some fitness. I go out on my bike when the weather warms up.
What is your previous line of work/study?
I spent my 43 year career working in the pharmaceutical industry, as an analytical chemist for the first 10 years and then in various roles in the clinical research and development of new medicines i.e. the management of global-scale clinical trials which involved a lot of overseas travel.
What are your passions and interests?
See Question 7 above. Passions are food / cooking, my lovely daughters, my garden and fly fishing.
Volunteering Stats for April
A big thank you to all our volunteers!
Thank you
Thank you to the team from McDonald’s Sturry (pictured) for donating Easter eggs for our clients. Thank you so much to everyone who donated to our Winter Appeal. We raised 98% of our £50,000 target. Thank you to everyone who came along to the Catching Lives Charity Quiz in March, raising £500. Thank you to STAG Coffee for your support and the delicious platters. Thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets and all those who donated prizes including Bird and Blend Tea and Cathedral Gate Lodge.
Thank you to the Old Wives Lees Community Choir for raising £385.06 for us at their community concert at the beginning of April. And thanks to Mansfields for raising £845.17 through staff bake sales and raffles.
For more regular updates, please do keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Instagram for more updates until we write to you again in May.
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