Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society Visit

We had the privilege of visiting the BCCS Team at their offices in Billericay. We were shown around their offices, where they provide in-house counselling and therapy for families and young people across the Diocese; we also heard about their work in schools doing the same.

BCCS is a registered children’s charity that supports the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people across Essex and East London. They provide one-to-one counselling, therapy for families, training for school staff, workshops for pupils, and dedicated support workers in schools. Their aim is to help children build resilience, improve wellbeing, and cope with challenges such as anxiety, bullying, bereavement, and family difficulties.

It was great to learn more about their work and how we could support each other’s roles within the Diocese especially concerning mental health.

If you would like to find out more about their work, visit their website.

Basildon Parish Sleepout

On the evening of the 10th April, 20 young people and leaders from Our Lady and All Saints Parish in Basildon came together to sleep outside in solidarity with their homeless brothers and sisters.

The atmosphere was one of joy and community, with leaders and young people working together and socialising. The group raised £1600+ to be split evenly between their parish youth projects and Project 58:7, which is made up of 20 volunteers from a range of churches in Basildon plus a dedicated group of cooks. They provide a free hot meal throughout the year (on average 15-20 meals x6 per week), hot drink and support to any adult in need or rough sleeping in the Basildon area.

Keep your eyes peeled for the full article coming out in 2 weeks, written by our young adult volunteer, Liz!

St Thomas More Year 12 Core RE Session

Our Director was pleased to visit St Thomas More School in Southend to speak with Year 12 students during their Core RE session on the theme of faith, responsibility and service.

Students were encouraged to reflect on the importance of looking beyond their immediate concerns and recognising others’ needs. While everyone experiences challenges, the danger is becoming so absorbed in personal difficulties that we stop noticing those around us. A key message of the session was not to let our world stop at ourselves.

The discussion also focused on how charity rarely begins with grand gestures. More often, it starts in small but meaningful ways: through awareness, attitude and action. Making a difference does not always require changing everything at once, but rather refusing to be indifferent to the struggles of others.

Drawing on Catholic Social Teaching, students explored the idea of shared responsibility. Social structures matter, but so do the personal choices each of us makes every day. When enough people choose to act, even in small ways, positive change becomes possible.

Caritas Brentwood is grateful to St Thomas More School for the warm welcome and the opportunity to engage with such thoughtful and reflective young people.

If you would like the Caritas team to run a Core RE or assembly/collective worship session in your school, contact us: [email protected]

Newham Community Cohesion Hackathon

Michael and Siân attended a ‘Hackathon’ at Aston-Mansfield Community Centre, hosted by Good Faith Partnership, centred around how we might respond to a recent report carried out by thinktank British Future. Split into diverse groups, we were offered the day to think about how we can respond to the findings of the report – specifically how we might address lack of community cohesion within the Borough of Newham.

Local charities, organisations, residents and people representing various religious groups were present, each with their own unique input on what Newham was to them. The day was a fantastic chance for us to learn more about the struggles the borough faces, as well as how we might be able to help.

At the end of the day, one group was picked as the “winner” of the £10,000 grant money to put their project into action. Michael was a member of the winning group and looks forward to exploring how we can implement his group’s idea into reality.

Visit to the Houses of Parliament

Siân (Director, Caritas Brentwood) and Fr Dominic (Episcopal Vicar, Caritas Brentwood), had the opportunity to observe Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Whilst there, they witnessed the weekly Page Turning Ceremony of the Book of Remembrance in Parliament, with the Rt Hon Richard Holden, MP for Basildon & Billericay; they were also given a tour of both House of Parliament by researcher Chris Baron.

It was the final PMQs before Parliament is prorogued ahead of the next King’s Speech, meaning MPs were keen to get final statements made ahead of local elections, both Siân and Fr Dominic spoke about the energy, exchanges and expressions of the people in the room that you often don’t appreciate watching on TV.

Reflecting on the day, Siân said:

“Today’s PMQs was a useful reminder that what’s debated in Westminster has a real impact on people’s everyday lives. Issues like the cost of living, welfare, housing, and opportunity aren’t just political talking points; they affect the families and communities we, as Caritas Brentwood, work with every day. Our role isn’t about party politics, but about supporting those in need and helping build a society rooted in dignity, compassion and the common good.”

Leading up to the local election is an important time to engage thoughtfully with politicians on some of the most urgent issues of our time: poverty, refugees and the environment. We have created a series designed as a foundational guide to help you and your parish do just this, to find out more click here<<

Our Common Home: Engaging Politicians Webinar

We also were part of a webinar convened by the Diocesan Environmental Leads Network, which brought 9 organisations from across the UK to help parishioners understand their role in engaging with politics. Speakers, including Bishop John Arnold, Sir John Battle, Andrea Speranza and Dr Shanon Shah, reflected on the significance of the current moment, particularly in light of the local elections.

The meeting was not about endorsing any political party or candidate. Instead, it focused on making your voice count and showing that your vote is thoughtful and shaped by the issues you care about.

Click here to watch the recording of the meeting.

To download the new resource the DELs have produced, click here