Jericho Come As You Are CIC – Community Group of the Year nomination
Jericho Come As You Are CIC – Community Group of the Year nomination
Originally launched to help homeless people sleeping in shop doorways in Bentilee, Jericho – Come As You Are CIC now takes its services out into the streets of the city centre to support some of Stoke-on-Trent’s most vulnerable people.
The group was started by lead volunteers Louise Davies and Craig Marsh in September 2025 using St Stephen’s Church in Bentilee as their base.
The pair were both already volunteering for the church, including Louise working with addiction and recovery groups.
Louise said: “I remember that I was cutting out bits of paper for a craft activity and we were talking about homeless people sleeping outside shops in Bentilee. Two weeks later we’d got Jericho up and running.”
The group works with around 15 to 35 people each week, including people who are homeless or in need. Service users have included an asylum seeker who had been sleeping on a concrete floor with a two-year-old child.
They now take their services into the city centre every Saturday to reach even more people in need. Louise and Craig are now supported by four other volunteers.
Louise said: “Not everyone we work with is homeless. We help anyone who is struggling. There was one man that I spoke to outside the shops and when I asked him if he’d be coming he said he didn’t think he could because he isn’t homeless. We’re here for whoever needs us.
“Within six months he’d been coming to us and we could see he needed a purpose. He started volunteering with us and loved it. He’s got his own role putting out tables and other tasks and he feels needed.”
Jericho meets people’s immediate needs at it’ drop-in by providing hot food and drinks, food parcels, clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags, tents and other essential items. The team understand that meeting basic needs is often the first step towards helping someone rebuild their life.
They take sandwiches, snacks, drinks and essential supplies directly to people sleeping rough in the city centre. Alongside practical help they offer encouragement, friendship and a pathway to further support.
Jericho – Come As You Are CIC has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards by a service user.
He said: “Alongside practical support Jericho offers guidance and signposting to services including housing, addiction recovery, mental health support, healthcare and benefits advice. Volunteers take the time to listen, build trust and help people access the support they need.
“Jericho is more than a drop-in centre. It is a place where people are treated with dignity, respect and kindness. Through its dedicated volunteers and unwavering commitment to serving the community, Jericho continues to change lives, making it a truly deserving recipient of the Community Group of the Year Award.”
Louise added: “It’s amazing to be recognised for what we’re doing but we don’t do it for any prize or glory.”