Roy Hudd
Roy’s quest for a bargain leads him to discover an amazing charity on his doorstep…
‘The rarest item we found was a book called How To Hug’
‘The companions, volunteers and staff all think the scheme is a winner’
We moved to the countryside a decade and a half ago and we’re still finding new places to visit and enjoy; we actually enjoy everything about Suffolk. It reminds me of my life as an evacuee in Northants and my missus of her life in rural Lancashire – not as an evacuee! (During the war she was nowt but an idea in her Dad’s imagination.)
Here in Suffolk we are a part of a community and we’ve just found out about another very important community. Let me explain. We, like so many inspired by the likes of Bargain Hunt and Cash in the Attic, are addicted to the hunt for special bargains. We arrived here 15 years back and we’re still searching for a lost Leonardo or a Sheraton sideboard – but the rarest item we’ve ever found was a copy of what I thought was a naughty Victorian book called How to Hug. It was, alas, a single volume from a set of encyclopaedias… The other day a pal of ours told us about a place in the grounds of an old nunnery where there was room after room of furniture, bric-a brac, crockery, DVDs, vinyl and, for me best of all, books, all at great prices.
All the selling was done by folk young and old who were happy to talk, give advice, help and smile. We came away well-pleased with our bargains and even more pleased when we discovered the whole thing was for a charity – one I’d never heard of – Emmaus. It’s a homelessness charity, one that has a great approach to the problems that you inherit when you’ve nowhere to live. Emmaus provides a home for as long as anyone wants to stay. Here’s the deal they offer. A home – in return for working 40 hours a week in one of the House’s enterprises, such as the shop we’d visited, raising funds to support themselves and the running of the place.
The folk who are lucky enough to become part of this community now have an address, and a chance to lose the hopelessness that rough sleeping makes it so easy to descend into. These residents Emmaus calls companions – a good name in my book. I managed to have a chat with some of the companions and some volunteers and staff. They all, without collusion, thought the scheme was a winner. There are 28 other Emmaus Houses in the UK, providing 750 lifelines to those who need it most. It began in Paris in 1940 to help those living on the streets and now does its work in 36 countries across the world – and in Ditchingham, Norwich!
I was bowled over by the whole set up and I bought a hardback copy of Monty – His Part in My Victory, by Spike Milligan. Thank you Emmaus – an organisation Spike would have thoroughly approved of.