Charity’s caring in memory of Craig
WHEN Risha Lancaster’s younger brother Craig passed away, she wanted to do something to honour his memory - and to help others who were struggling.
The 37-year-old died of an overdose in 2013 after battling mental health issues, heroin addiction and homelessness.
In the days after his death, Risha, now 49, and husband, Hendrix, 39, decided to cook a shared meal and buy a coffee for some of the vulnerable people Craig had known in Cardiff and in their own home city of Manchester. Five years later and that simple act of kindness has become a catalyst for a charity in his name - Coffee4Craig.
“Coffee4Craig was born in his memory,” Risha explains.
“It started with that idea that if you saw someone rough sleeping you could buy them a coffee and say, ‘this is from Craig.’ “Hendrix and I had started volunteering with groups supporting people who were homeless so we knew where the gaps in provision were and what needed to be done.
“After Craig died, we carried on, we just did our best to help.
“In the early days, it was just about things like providing a hot meal or a coffee to anyone that needed it, or dropping off boxer shorts and socks to rough sleepers. We had no idea what it would become. All we knew was that there were people in need, people like Craig who needed more.”
Since then, the charity has grown from a small outreach service and soup kitchen to a source of seven-day-a-week support for rough sleepers and vulnerable people across Manchester.
Working with the police, council and other groups, they have helped develop the city’s Homeless Partnership, shaped local authority policy and become advocates for people who have no way of making their voices heard.
Now partnering with another charity, Centrepoint, Risha, Hendrix and their team provide a much-needed, indoor hot dinner service feeding hundreds of people each week. As well as food, the drop-in offers advice and practical help, including everything from providing free bus passes to help finding deposits for flats.
Risha says it hasn’t always been easy but she thinks Craig would have been delighted to see the work being done in his name.
“When we started this we were living in poverty ourselves, working as volunteers and just doing what we could,” she said.
“Money is always tight but it feels good to know that we are helping people face challenges head on and have their say.
“I’m still surprised myself when I look at what we’ve done, when I see a poster with Craig’s face on it.
“I’m sure he’d be proud - and flabbergasted,” she said.