Newmarket Open Door is a charity providing homeless and vulnerable young people with supported housing and training opportunities in Newmarket. As well as our houses, we run two Charity Superstores and Training Centres in Newmarket and Mildenhall to fundraise and the local Foodbank to support the wider community.
Open Door was inspired and founded by a local Churches Together initiative in 1997 and now manages and provides:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me". (Revelation 3:20)
Unit 2
Craven Way Newmakret CB8 OBW |
|
Charity store openign times
Mon 10.00am - 4.00pm Tue 10.00am - 4.00pm Wed 10.00am - 4.00pm Thur 10.00am - 4.00pm Fri. 10.00am - 4.00pm Sat 10.00am - 4.00pm Sun Closed |
20A Hampstead Avenue
Mildenhall IP28 7AS |
|
Openign times
Mon 10.00am - 4.00pm Tue 10.00am - 4.00pm Wed 10.00am - 4.00pm Thur 10.00am -4.00pm Fri. 10.00am - 4.00pm Sat Closed Sun Closed |
"Not just a hostel, but a place to call home."
Portland House is situated in the High Street, Newmarket, a few minutes from the town centre shops and on the main bus routes to Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge.
Hypher House, at 28a Park Lane is within a few minutes walk of the High Street.
Portland House is comprised of three terraced houses: Portland, Cranworth and Windsor Houses at 186-188 and 184 High Street. There are now nineteen bed sitting rooms of varying sizes with shared showers & toilets.
The large kitchen is fully equipped with cookers, microwave, fridge/freeze and washing and drying facilities. Cranworth House at 186 contains the Open Door office and staff overnight accommodation.
Hypher House is a five bed-sit house with a shared kitchen/diner and bathroom with a resident caretaker.
Portland House (left), Cranworth House (centre),
Windsor House (right)
Single people aged 16 to 24 are eligible with priority given to local applicants with connections to Newmarket and the Forest Heath and East Cambridgeshire District Council areas. However, the accommodation is not exclusive to those with a local connection and applicants from elsewhere have been successful if a need is demonstrated.
The accommodation is not direct access. Applications are submitted through the HRS Portal for 15 rooms funded by Housing Related Support from Suffolk County Council for the 16-21 age range. A further nine rooms are available for those 16-24. and applications are made ditect to Open Door at Portland House.
Supported referrals are welcomed from family members or social welfare organisations such as the local councils including Social Services, Youth Support Services, National Children’s Homes, Probation and other charities.
The Accommodation Manager or Deputy interview all applicants to assess suitability, taking into account their experience and need for support, current housing, if any, and future aspirations. Considerations are given to the mix of residents to maintain a peaceful environment but this is not to exclude those who have had a difficult past; rather to give prospective applicants a second or third chance.
Vacancies are rare at Portland House but applications are managed in advance to minimise waiting time and maximise capacity. The Allocations Panel is composed of representatives of Suffolk Housing Society, Forest Heath District Council and the trustees of Open Door.
Successful applications are ranked in priority order.
Cranworth House
The rent is £180.81 per week and includes all service charges such as heating, electric light and water. If a resident is on JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) or Income Support then most of the rent is paid by Housing Benefit to the maximum of £163.81 leaving residents to pay only £17 per week. Residents who are in work may receive assistance from Housing Benefit in proportion to their income. Staff give advice and assist with applications.
The support element of the accommodation is funded through a Housing Related Services contract with Suffolk County Council. Additional charitable funds are provided through Open Door.
Residents who are not working are encouraged to participate in voluntary work, helping to raise funds and engendering self-respect through meaningful activity.
Open Door also provides basic foods and beverages such as tea, coffee, squash, potatoes, bread, eggs, a variety of foods donated by local people and through our own Foodbank. Additional foods are donated from Tesco's, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and their customers.
Each room is furnished and Open Door is also able to assist with bedding, clothing, toiletries and home electrical goods for those in the greatest need.
Open Door is a gateway to other support agencies and can assist with:
As well as paying rent there are a number of conditions of living at Portland House that are important to protect each resident’s right to the quiet enjoyment of their accommodation and encourage self-sufficiency and independence.
Overnight guests are not allowed and visitors are only permitted from 4pm to 10pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 10pm at weekends.
Alcohol and illegal drugs are banned and the use or storage on the premises will result in the termination of the licence.
Violent and offensive behaviour, physical and verbal, to staff or other residents are not tolerated and will also result in an eviction.
Windsor House
Open Door aims to provide a home for young people, supervised with a light touch and timely and proportionate help and assistance. This can be the second and third chance for some people that may help draw them away from antisocial and damaging activities and encourage self-respect to the mutual benefit of all. It does not work for everyone and may not work first time round but for many it has been a lifeline to a better place. Portland House is not just a hostel: many have been pleased to call this their home.
"When I came to Portland House I had nothing. When I left I had everything"
The Suffolk County Council manages initial applications to Housing Related Support accommodation.
Click on the link below to visit their site and fill in the application form.
https://portal.suffolk.gov.uk/hrs/
Newmarket Open Door has fifteen bed sitting rooms for young people 16 to 21, which are administered through Suffolk County Council's Housing Related Support.
Applications for a further nine rooms for young people aged 16 to 24 are made direct to Open Door at Portland House.
Unit 2
Craven Way
Newmarket
CB8 0BW
Mon |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Tue |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Wed |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Thur |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Fri |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Sat |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Sun |
Closed |
We advise donors never to leave items at our stores when we are closed as they can be ruined in poor weather, stolen or vandalised.
Always see a member of staff or volunteer when leaving a donation.
We do not take any plastic items, duvet or pillows (unless new), old electrical items, or anything not saleable in our store.
Thank you for your understanding.
Please leave a message on the voicemail.
Alternatively, telephone Portland House on 01638 600699
20A
Hampstead Av.
Mildenhall
IP28 7AS
Mon |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Tue |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Wed |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Thur |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Fri |
10:00am - 4:00pm |
Sat |
Closed * |
Sun |
Closed * |
*The store is also closed on bank holidays.
Click on the PDF icon below to download the
Charity Superstore volunteer application form.
"A home in the world of work"
The Charity Superstore retails donated goods and provides a furniture collection and delivery service with assistance from volunteers and trainees.
Open Door aims to raise funds and provide informal training and support to disadvantaged people who may be between jobs, recovering from illness or substance misuse, and give them a home in the world of work.
The Charity Superstore is situated on an industrial estate owned by West Suffolk Council at Unit 2 Craven Way, Newmarket, the first turning off Depot Road.
Terry Waite (President), John Durrant (Former General Manager), Steve Maddox (Former Operations Manager) and Mike Webb (Former Woodworks supervisor) at the opening of the store.
Our opening times are 10 am to 4 pm six days per week. We are open on the Spring and Summer Bank Holidays. We are NOT open Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Open Door retails a variety of items including a wide range of furniture including sofas, beds, wardrobes, chests of drawers, bedside cabinets, dressing tables, armchairs, computer and small office desks, dining room tables, chairs, small display units, coffee tables, bookcases…
There is also a wide selection of clean clothing, bedding, curtains, table lamps, china, cutlery, glasses, mirrors, books, dvd's, cd's, records, small electrical household items and all manner of bric-a-brac. We do not sell plastic toys.
If someone had it then we may have had it, got it or may be able to get it. Just ask.
You are welcome to bring items to the Superstore during opening times, though also see a member of staff or volunteer before leaving a donation.
For those who need help in transporting donations, especially furniture, Open Door will arrange a collection from Monday to Thursday between 10 am and 3.30 pm. Collections outside of these times are also possible but not easy for us to organise.
Call 01638 660900 to book a collection. We offer pick-ups within an hour on an agreed date in order to try and minimise any disruption to your normal routine and to make effective use of our vans. Should there be last minute problems we will telephone you to rebook.
Our collection catchment area is generally from Cambridge in the West to Bury in the East and Mildenhall in the North and towards Haverhill in the South. We do travel further afield for sizeable collections.
We charge for deliveries: £10 for Newmarket and immediate villages, £15 for neighbouring settlements. and by pre-agreed price for further afield.
These are not exhaustive lists...
All volunteers and trainees complete an application form and are interviewed, receive induction training and undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
You can volunteer any time between 10 am and 4 pm six days per week. Hours are flexible to suit volunteers and trainees.
The Foodbank is part of Newmarket Open Door, and redistributes donated foods and household products to disadvantaged people through our Foodbank shop and other charities, voluntary and social welfare organisations.
The charity also operates the Shop ‘n’ Share scheme with donation boxes at Tesco’s in Fordham Road and the Co-op in Elizabeth Avenue. We also have collection points at the Town Council Offices in the High Street and at the Leisure Centre on Exning Road. We recieve regular and one-off donations from retailers, wholesalers and local churches, businesses and organisations, including Sainsbury, Waitrose and Tesco.
We also receive large donations including fresh bread and cakes etc from Tesco.
Unit 5
Craven Way
Newmarket
CB8 0BW
NEW NEW NEW NEW
as from November 2019 the Tuesday session will be held in Severals Pavilion, Newmarket
This is a drop in session and no appointment is required, just a referal and your voucher
Mon |
Closed |
Tue |
10:30am - 1.30pm |
Wed |
Closed |
Thur |
10:30am - 2.30pm |
Fri |
10:30am - 12:30pm |
Sat |
Closed |
Sun |
Closed |
Access is by appointment only on Thursday and Friday, by telephoning (01638) 561711or the Open Door office on (01638) 600699.
Free emergency food parcels are available to referred individuals and families.
Our stock is variable depending on the donations but can include:
Wholesalers and retailers donate items for a variety of reasons:
Please note that all items are dated with the advisory code ‘best before end’ that means that the manufacturer does not guarantee the quality after the end date. We do not handle 'Use By' items except for fresh vegetables.
Manufacturers, processors and producers, wholesalers, caterers, churches and schools (especially at Harvest Festival), sponsors, clubs and other charities. We can collect larger quanties.
Tesco & Waitrose Newmarket for their donations of fresh food through Fairshare
Co-op Store, Newmarket and Burwell
J Sainsbury for groceries
If you or your organisation or business would like to make a donation, as a one-off or regular basis please contact John Durrant on (01638) 600 699 or (07767) 837 054.
Tesco Newmarket and Co-op Newmarket have kindly provided collection facilities for customers to shop and share and donate to the foodbank.
Open Door also distributes meal vouchers primarily to the street homeless or for those temporarily without cooking facilities. A voucher is worth £3.50 and redeemable at the Stable Restaurant in the High Street.
Emmaus Cambridge and Jimmy’s Assessment Centre worked in partnership to form the Foodbank as an independent charity in 2001, opening in a small warehouse in Coldhams Road. It was probably the first in this country.
In 2008 the Foodbank moved to Newmarket to co-locate with Open Door and benefit from lower rent and larger premises. The two charities completed a merger in 2009.
Grants have been received in the past from Cambridge City Council, the Tudor Trust, Chivers, Jimmy’s Cambridge, Barclay's Bank, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Community Foundation and Emmaus Cambridge.
Our thanks to the community of Newmarket and the district.
Without their generous advice, support and gifts, in cash and kind, large and small, Open Door would not be where it is today.
ACS, Exning
All Saints Landbeach
All Saints PCC Newmarket
Anglia Ruskin, Cambridge
Ashton Singers
Burwell Baptist Church
Burwell Community Print
Business in the Community, Newmarket
Cambridge Building Society
Cambridge Digital
Cambridge Evening News
Cambridge Foodbank
Cambridge Quakers
Cambridgeshire Recycling Network
Care Principles
Chase Charity
Checkmate Services
Cheffins
Cheveley Parish Choir
Cheveley PCC
Christchurch Newmarket
Colyer-Ferguson Charitable Trust
Dawe Charitable Trust
East Cambridgeshire District Council
Ebyon Trust
Edmondson Hall
Ely Cathedral
Emmaus Cambridge
Exning Methodist Church
Exning County Primary School
Exning St Martins PCC
Fairstead House School, Newmarket
Flagship Housing
Foley House
Forest Heath District Council
Forest Heath Crime Reduction Panel
Fordham Congregational Church
Hereward Housing
HPB Management Ltd, Newmarket
Injured Jockeys Fund
Jubilee Project
KB Servicing
Kirtling PCC
The Kitchen Choir (Stetchworth)
Lloyds TSB Foundation
Lynwood Associates
Michael Meeks
Marks & Spencer
Moulton Golfing Society
Newmarket Business Association
Newmarket Byerley Charitable Trust
Newmarket Catholic Church
Newmarket College
Newmarket Community Church
Newmarket Community Partnership
Newmarket & District Youth for Christ
Newmarket Journal
Newmarket Lions
Newmarket Local History Group
Newmarket Plant Hire
2nd Newmarket Rainbows
Newmarket Round Table
Newmarket Town Council
Newprint
NOMADS
Peter Norman, local historian
Post Office
Probus Club
Qube
Racing Welfare
Ridgeons
Robert Sayle, Cambridge
Salvation Army
SAVO
St Agnes Church Newmarket
St Catherine’s Littlington
St Louis Catholic Middle School, Bury St Edmunds
St Mary’s Ashley
St Mary’s Hawkedon
St Mary’s Newmarket
St Mary’s Woodditton
St Peter’s Snailwell
Suffolk ACRE
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk Housing Society
The St Vincent de Paul Conference, Ely
Tony Jedrej, Photographer
Tuddenham Primary School
Tudor Trust
UGS Solutions
Unex Group
Viewnique
Waitrose, Newmarket
Opening of Portland House
Opening of the Old Station Road Charity Shop
Following on from the successful regular fundraising stalls with donated goods in the Catholic Church car park Open Door leased 18 Old Station Road to retail donated quality furniture, bric-a-brac, clothing and books. The opening was supported by the Town Mayor, Cllr. George Lambton and Elvis!
Open Door was fortunate to have close links with Cambridge Emmaus, from whom the first van was purchased at a considerable discount, and for their invaluable advice and support.
Portland House
Through an internal re-organisation the house was adapted to provide eight rooms.
Supporting People Suffolk
Achieved accreditation and awarded contract with Supporting People to provide housing support.
WoodWorks!
Open Door took a lease on a small industrial unit at Craven Way to start WoodWorks! to provide informal training opportunities in furniture repair to disadvantaged people. The Lloyds TSB Foundation funded the cost of a part-time worker in the first year and many other local organisations made donations of finance and equipment The Round Table organised a pantomime horse race at the Racecourse. Open Door’s entry came second from last but the winner was a panto cow. Our calls for a steward’s inquiry went unheeded!
Rockfield House
Open Door was appointed the managing agent of Rockfield House by Forest Heath District Council on the retirement of the resident wardens. This is a temporary contract as the Council is planning to replace the house with two smaller hostels in Newmarket and Mildenhall.
Church Hall Sales
Open Door continued to build the furniture business, using three garages on loan and a redundant church at Fordham. Regular sales were held in the Catholic Church and the old parish room was filled to overflowing!
Cranworth House
Hereward Housing kindly permitted Open Door to occupy their redundant neighbourhood office pending negotiations of development agreement to link the two houses and create a further five rooms of accommodation. With the achievement of planning permission Open Door increased the number of units on site to ten.Terry Waite CBE first visited Open Door and formally opened the Cranworth House office. He signed a replica of the postcard, the only mail he received whilst in captivity for nearly five years in the Lebanon. John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress which now hangs in pride of place in the office.
Second Van
After a successful Business in the Community visit focussing on rural social exclusion Open Door was fortunate to receive another van donated by the Post Office.
Windsor House
Terry Waite CBE
Terry agreed to support Open Door as our President and Patron and attended the first anniversary celebrations of the Charity Superstore.
Since opening in 1999, Portland House resident numbers have exceeded seventy.
In 2009, having obtained planning permission and signed a twenty-five year lease with Sanctuary Hereward Open Door completed the building works to link Portland and Cranworth Houses and provide six bed sitting rooms, replace the bathrooms with shower rooms and toilets, upgrade the kitchen, open up the Victorian staircase and insert a new door from the office in Cranworth. This was funded by a large grant from Forest Heath District Council with further support from East Cambridgeshire and funds raised by Open Door. The three houses of Portland, Windsor and Cranworth now have a capacity of nineteen rooms.
In addition to the restoration of the staircase, a Victorian fireplace was revealed and a section of old wallpaper preserved in situ in a Perspex frame.
Newmarket Open Door is a registered charity and limited company and was formed from a Churches Together initiative when a group of people wanted to do something more about homelessness in the district. One person made the first donation of a five-pound note and Open Door was born.
The trustees/directors are drawn from the congregations of Newmarket and district and offer themselves for endorsement at the annual general meeting of the members.
For 2017-18 the trustees are:
Revd John Hardy (Chair)
Maureen Penney
David Staff
Cathy Staff
Ken Snare
Father Simon Blakesley
Lyn Chapman
Charles Dore (Vice-Chair)
Charity Correspondent & Company Secretary – John Durrant
Independent Examiner: Geoff Mann
Minutes Secretary: Ruth Kent
Annual accounts and returns are available on the Charity Commission website:
The objects of the charity and limited company are 'the advancement of the Christian faith and education including the relief of persons experiencing poverty homelessness physical and mental disability and the provision of accommodation and support.'
Terry Waite was born in the county of Cheshire, England on the 31st May 1939. He was educated locally and received his higher education in London. On leaving college he was appointed as Education Adviser to the Anglican Bishop of Bristol, England and remained in that post until he moved to East Africa in 1969. In Uganda he worked as Provincial Training Adviser to the first African Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and that capacity travelled extensively throughout East Africa.
Together with his wife Frances and their four children he witnessed the Amin coup in Uganda and both he and his wife narrowly escaped death on several occasions. From his office in Kampala he founded the Southern Sudan Project and was responsible for developing programmes of aid and development for this war-torn region.
In 1972 he responded to an invitation to work as an International Consultant to a Roman Catholic Medical Order and moved with his family to live in Rome, Italy.
From this base he travelled extensively throughout Asia, Africa, North and South America and Europe both conducting and advising on programmes concerned with Institutional Change and Development, Inter-Cultural Relations, Group and Inter-group Dynamics and a broad range of development issues connected with both health and education.
In 1980 he was recruited by the Archbishop of Canterbury and moved to Lambeth Palace, London where he joined the Archbishop’s Private Staff. In his capacity as Adviser to the Archbishop he again travelled extensively throughout the world and had a responsibility for the Archbishop’s diplomatic and ecclesiastical exchanges. He arranged and travelled with the Archbishop on the first ever visit of an Archbishop of Canterbury to China and has responsibility for travels to Australia, New Zealand, Burma, USA, Canada, The Caribbean, South Africa, East and West Africa to name but a few places.
In the early 1980’s he successfully negotiated the release of several hostages from Iran and this event brought him to public attention. In 1983 he negotiated with Colonel Ghadafi for the release of British hostages held in Libya and again was successful. In January 1987 while negotiating for the release of Western hostages in Lebanon he himself was taken captive and remained in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in total solitary confinement.
Following his release on 19th November 1991 he was elected a Fellow Commoner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he wrote his first book Taken On Trust. This quickly became an international best seller and headed the lists in the UK and elsewhere. Following his experience as a captive he decided to make a career change and determined to give himself to study, writing, lecturing and humanitarian activities.
His second book, Footfalls In Memory was published in the UK in 1995 and again was a best seller. His latest book published in October 2000 Travels With A Primate is a humorous account of his journeys with Archbishop Runcie. He has contributed articles to many journals and periodicals ranging from the Reader’s Digest to the Kipling Journal and has also contributed articles and forewords to many books. He was elected Visiting Fellow to Magdalen College Oxford for the Trinity term 2006.
Since his release he has been in constant demand as a lecturer, writer and broadcaster and has appeared in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and throughout Europe. There has been a particular interest in the lectures he has delivered relating to his experiences as a negotiator and as a hostage to the pressures faced by executives and managers.
Stress, loneliness and negotiating under acute pressure are but some of the issues with which he has unique experiences and his ability to communicate clearly and with good humour has meant that he is in constant demand as a speaker not only to the Business Community, but also to professionals in social work, education and the medical field as well as to religious groups. He maintains an ongoing interest in current humanitarian and political affairs.
For all charity correspondence and enquiries, please contact: