This year, Bury Drop In is celebrating their 10^th anniversary. It’s a decade marked by growth, triumph and a profound impact on the lives the volunteers serve. In early 2015, a steering group was formed to address the issue of the lack of provisions available to people who are homeless and vulnerably housed in Bury St Edmunds. From this, Bury Drop In was born, opening its doors, in September 2015, 2 guests supported by 15 volunteers.

Fast forward 10 years, it became clear that the charity needed to adapt their services to meet the increasingly complex needs of the community, serving about 50 guests per a session. Over the past decade, the charity has developed successful projects based upon a person-centred approach including emergency dental treatment, stop-smoking cessation and spin off self-help progression group, Table 1. The true measure of success lies in the stories of the people that we support.

“This is a very special landmark year for the charity, as we look back over the last 10 years. We want to celebrate this special anniversary with our volunteers, guests, supporters and the community that we so proudly serve. To celebrate our historic milestone over the last decade, we will feature a collection of stories from volunteers and guests, a commemorative webpage and memories scrapbook,” said Ally Gill, marketing and communications manager at Bury Drop In.

Bury Drop In’s vision: to care for and inspire homeless people as they work ensure everyone has a place to call home. The charity will start planning towards the challenges of 2026-2030 later this year, reviewing their current vision and strategy.

As Bury Drop In celebrate their 10^th anniversary, Robert Green, chair of trustees, said: “Ten years ago when Bury Drop In was in its earliest days, what might be in store a decade later was far from our minds! Our focus was then and is now to serve, with Christian commitment, some of our most vulnerable and overlooked neighbours. The last ten years have been an exciting rollercoaster with an amazing team of committed volunteers at the heart of our work, and we’re here to stay!”

A steering committee will meet next month, made up of staff and volunteers, to help plan and support the anniversary celebrations.

Thank you to everyone for being part of the Bury Drop In journey, anyone who wishes to contribute to the memories scrapbook, please contact Ally by email at ally.gill@burydropin.org.