"Off Road", a book of poems written by Colin and Eddy, two of the Companions at Emmaus Mossley, is now available.
Click here to read extracts from the book.
The book can be purchased at our shop here at Emmaus Mossley for £4.00. (Or send cheque for £4.50 to have the book posted to you.)
As mentioned in the item above, snow has made Emmaus Mossley's car park inaccessible to vehicles.
However, the shop is open as normal and a number of intrepid customers, some taking advantage of an unexpected day off work, found their way to the shop on foot.
Some customers even came in and bought skis that were on sale in our bric-a-brac shop! They were then able to try them out on the street outside.
The young lady in the photo is skiing down Queen Street past the entrance to Emmaus Mossley. Why travel to the Alps when Mossley has its own piste?
Come and join in the fun at Emmaus Mossley's Summer Fair on Saturday 1st August
The fair will be on from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm.
The entertainment and amusements will include: Live Music, Bouncy Castle, Games, Refreshments, Raffle, Tombola, Lucky Dip, Face Painting and more.
Plus you can shop for a bargain in our Secondhand Superstore while you are here!
Companions at Emmaus Mossley dressed in funny outfits in order to raise a laugh - a raise money - for Comic Relief.
However, shop manager Hazel Hodkinson thinks that Red Nose Day must have taken place on the quietest day of the year for the shop!
"I don't know if the date had anything to do with it but certainly people didn't seem to be venturing out of doors," said Hazel.
"As it was we were busy continuing with the refurb of the main bric a brac room, only we carried out our chores dressed as Spiderman, an ageing punk and a match; with Dave painting on the scaffolding as a Channel swimmer! Three of the guys had their flowing locks cut or shaved completely by Jodie, our resident barber. We think they look great and we are thinking of doing a 10-years-younger makeover next year, including Botox and cosmetic dentistry!"
"At the end of the day a total of £230.39 was raised for Comic Relief, so a big thank you to the lads for being such good sports!"
Emmaus Mossley was the beneficiary of £285 from a collection taken at a 9 Lessons and Carols service at St. Anne's Church, Lydgate, Oldham on 21st December. A combined choir of some thirty men, women and children from St Anne's and its neighbouring church sang for Emmaus.
The service was attended by Bruce, Les, Dennis and Dave on behalf of the Emmaus Mossley community. Dave expressed the community's thanks for the generosity of those present.
These churches have a special place in the history of Mossley. It was at St Anne's in 1995 that Richard Darlington and some enthusiastic church members decided to take up the challenge to get an Emmaus Community up and running in Mossley.
Richard (pictured left) helped to establish the first Emmaus community in Britain and was one of the original trustees of Emmaus Mossley.
A number of the original group from St Anne's church still volunteer at Emmaus Mossley on a regular basis.
Click on these links to listen online to the WFM radio interviews:
Emmaus Mossley held its Open Day this year on 9th December. Terry Waite spent the day with us, chatting with members of the public as well as staff and companions and the local art group that meets in the building.
Throughout the day, local musicians performed for shoppers and visitors. Companions Colin and Dennis gave tours of the building behind the scenes, including the workshop, dining room and the rare sight of a companion's room.
A local art group, who meet each week in the building, had an extra art session so that visitors could see for themselves the sort of activities that were enjoyed.
Terry, who is the president of Emmaus UK, presented certificates to companions who had completed First Aid training.
As well as signing autographs for shoppers, Terry Waite also gave press and radio interviews.
The interview with presenter Mike Dawson was broadcast on WFM 97.2 on 14th December. It is available to listen to online, along with an interview with Emmaus companion Les. Please follow the links on the left to hear the interviews.
Photos, left: Terry with IKEA's environmental managers.
Terry tries his hand at an art class.
Terry gives an interview.
Photos, right: Terry talks to visitors and the local art group.
Terry talks with shoppers and signs autographs.
Local musicians entertain visitors.
A survey has shown that Emmaus communities can save the taxpayer large sums of money! A typical Emmaus community could save around £800,000 of public funds. Not only that, but they offer huge benefits to the people living in each community and to those living in the area around.
The survey, carried out by Cambridge Univerity, studied the Emmaus community at Carlton in Bedfordshire.
One of the biggest savings is on the cost of housing companions by other means, such as hostels, shelters, supported housing, etc. if they had not been in an Emmaus community. The costs of job seekers' allowances and other state benefits is also saved.
The local community has the resource of an amazing range of secondhand goods available plus the opportunity to recycle unwanted items by donating them and saving the cost of landfill!
Watch BBC news item about this. [2 minutes long]
Read summary of the survey's findings. [.pdf file] Read full report. [Word doc]
Come and visit Emmaus Mossley on Tuesday 9th December and find out more of what goes on and what it is all about! Our special Open Day will be between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm and there will be the chance to meet our guest of honour Terry Waite, the President of Emmaus UK.
There will be tours of the community and opportunities to talk with companions about life in an Emmaus community. During the day there will be demonstrations in the woodworking shop and music by local artists.
You can also meet some of Emmaus's volunteers and trustees, and hear about future plans for the community and .
There will also be taster sessions available with the regular art group and a talk in the Heritage Centre by Richard Darlington.
Harry Barlow has been appointed as Workshop and Maintenance Manager at Emmaus Mossley.
Harry's role will be to increase the involvement of companions in maintaining the building so that, under his guidance, they can gain experience in activities such as decorating.
He will also help to extend the skills of companions through greater use of the workshop area and through links with local colleges.
Glamorous actress Jerry Hall has raised £28,000 for Emmaus communities by auctioning a collection of her dresses.
The auction, which included the dress she wore to marry Mick Jagger, took place at Sothebys in London.
Jerry wanted to contribute towards giving people a second chance. She said, "I am so pleased to think that my dresses can lead a new lease of life in someone else's wardrobe, and at the same time contribute towards creating future Emmaus communities."
Hazel Hodkinson has been appointed as Shop Manager at Emmaus Mossley.
Hazel plans to improve the customer experience, drawing on the experience of Emmaus companions and building on our current successes.
Terry Waite visited Emmaus Mossley in December to see how the Community is helping to keep others warm as part of its "solidarity" principle.
£500 worth of new hats, gloves and socks have been purchased with funds raised for the "solidarity" programme. These will be donated to Wellsprings in Stockport and Cornerstones in Manchester - two drop-in centres that will distribute the clothing to homeless people in Greater Manchester.
Photo, left: Terry Waite and Dave Rigby model the new clothing.,
Photo, right: Terry took the opportunity to meet volunteers who staff our "Collectables" room.
Terry Waite, the President of Emmaus UK, visited Emmaus Mossley on October 12th.
He presented certificates to companions who had completed a specially-tailored training course.
The course was run in partnership with Tameside College and covered motivation and confidence as well as retail and customer service skills.
The photo shows Terry (back row) with John Carroll, Principal, Tameside College, and Diane Maxine and Rory from Tameside College, along with companions and staff of Emmaus Mossley.
Click this link for more photos.
A new sales room has been created at Emmaus Mossley where collectable items are available.
These are items that are a little bit too special to be sold in the Bric-a-brac shop, and are set aside for the discerning customer to browse through.
The new Collectables Room is situated behind the café on the upper sales floor.
Staffed by volunteers, it is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, from 10.00 am until 12.30 pm and from 1.00 until 3.00 pm.
Terry Waite is to visit to Emmaus Mossley on October 12th.
Terry, president of Emmaus UK, will present certificates to companions who have completed a training course.
The course was run in partnership with Tameside College and covered motivation and confidence as well as retail and customer service skills.
Customers are welcome to come and meet Terry when he is here.
A Fabulous Fun Day will take place at Emmaus Mossley on Saturday 8th September, 2007.
The event will run from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm and will feature live music, face painting, children's entertainment, tombola, raffle, luck dip, refreshments and more!
The day will co-incide with Emmaus Day being celebrated at communities around the country. It also co-incides with Heritage Open Day, and the Mossley Industrial Heritage Centre will be open all afternoon.
A grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government along with grants from the Trusthouse Charitable Foundation and the Dulverton Trust have allowed four new bedrooms to be completed at Emmaus Mossley.
The new bedrooms, each complete with en-suite bathroom with toilet, shower and washbasin, were created from two common rooms that were under-used.
The new rooms, with views across the valley, will enable Emmaus Mossley to accommodate four additional companions.
A recent grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government enabled improvements to be made to the workshops at Emmaus Mossley.
To comply with stricter regulations, a dust extraction system has been fitted that sucks up all the sawdust and particles created by the machinery, directly from source.
This has made a cleaner and more pleasant environment for companions to work in.
Abbé Pierre, founder of the Emmaus Movement, has died. He had been admitted to hospital suffering from a lung infection.
Abbé Pierre, who was 94, was a tireless human rights activist and the fact that the Emmaus Movement now consists of over 400 Communities around the world is testament to his amazing ability to inspire others to join him in his work.
Much needed repairs and improvements to the mill are finally being carried out thanks to a series of generous grants amounting to over £200,000. These include a substantial sum of £160,000 from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, now called the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Project Director Paul Misik says, "These grants have not only helped us to purchase a new van for our business but are also enabling us to add four more rooms to our premises which means we can welcome four more Companions into our Community. The money will also greatly improve the standard of accommodation for all those here at present. We are very grateful for all the financial aid to our project which offers constructive help to people who have found themselves without a place to live and work."
Emmaus Mossley has received some exciting news in recent weeks - the Duchess of Cornwall has confirmed that she is to be a patron for Emmaus UK.
Terry Waite, President of Emmaus UK said, "We are so pleased to be able to welcome The Duchess of Cornwall into the family of Emmaus. Her contribution will be of tremendous benefit to this charity which is working so creatively with homeless people."
On Saturday 18th November, there was a Fun Day at Emmaus Mossley, to raise funds for this year's Children In Need appeal.
There was live entertainment, a bouncy castle, Face Painting, Luck Dip and various stalls.
Thank you to everyone who supported the event, which raised £1,000 for Children in Need.
On Saturday 9th September, there was a Celebration of Ten Years of Emmaus in Mossley, with live entertainment, bouncy castle and stalls in the yard.
A stream of visitors arrived throughout the day, most of whom took the opportunity to do a bit of shopping at Emmaus Mossley,which was much busier than on a normal Saturday.
Earlier in the day, local historian Alan Petford led a Local History Trail from St George's Church to Emmaus Mossley, which was enjoyed by around 30 people.
Terry Waite paid a surprise visit to Emmaus Mossley on 7th September!
Terry, who is the president of Emmaus UK, was in the area for the launch of Emmaus Salford and called into the Mossley community which is celebrating its 10th birthday.
Terry met companions, staff, volunteers and customers who were in the building at the time.
Coordinator Lee Hartley thanked New Charter for their long-term involvement with Emmaus Mossley.
New Charter's re-let teams regularly donate good quality furniture from vacated properties which would have otherwise ended up going into landfill!
New Charter has also helping Emmaus Mossley to source and appoint building contractors for the work to be carried out under the ODPM's grant.
Companions Dennis, Martin, Paul, Paul and Skinner with Lee (Coordinator) enjoyed an equine romp round Wythenshawe park in Manchester!
Companions' outings in recent months have included visits to go bowling, clay pigeon shooting and to watch boxing.
Two runners from Emmaus Mossley joined 22,000 others to brave a cold Sunday morning in May to run 10km (around 6 miles) for a local charity.
Lee Hartley (co-ordinator) and Paul McCorkindale (companion) answered an appeal on the local radio station for runners to raise money for 'Manchester Kids', a grant-giving charity that supports voluntary and community groups who are making a difference to the lives of local children with serious illness or disabilities and children who suffer poverty, abuse, neglect or distress.
Despite the pouring rain and with a minimum of training, both Lee and Paul completed the Great Manchester Run with times of 55 and 58 minutes respectively and in so doing contributed £200 towards the £30,000 raised for the charity on the day.
"The Street", a new TV series, starts on Thursday 13th April, at 9.00 pm on BBC1.
If anything looks familiar about the programme, it could be that you have seen many of the props here at Emmaus Mossley! The makers, Granada Television, came to Emmaus Mossley last September to buy the props for the series.
You can now support Emmaus Mossley when buying things online from other websites! Click for details.
Emmaus Mossley has been awarded a substantial grant from the Homelessness Directorate at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for repairs to the building and improvements to the companions' areas.
An unusual cricket book was donated. We received a copy of "Many A Slip", the autobiography of Colin Ingleby MacKenzie, captain of 1960s cricket champions Hampshire.
The book has been signed by Colin and all the team members.
We have contacted the club and they are interested in obtaining the book.
Emmaus Mossley has started selling Gift Vouchers! You can now buy vouchers in the shop for £5 each.
Emmaus Mossley companion Sarah had wet sponges thrown at her to raise money for Children in Need. So far, about £150 has been raised. Please contact us if you would like to add your contribution!
Emmaus Mossley is now re-cycling waste metals from local businesses! If required, we can supply a 45-gallon drum which makes the storage of smaller items easier for you and easier for us to collect.
The drums and larger items of scrap metal can usually be collected within 24 hours, helping you to keep your place of work clear of waste. Please call 01457 838608 / 835105 if you can donate re-cyclable metals.
Members of Granada TV's production department swooped on Emmaus Mossley to buy props for a new drama "The Street" which will be screened on BBC1 in Spring 2006.
Not only did Granada buy the items for the show, but they have promised to donate the goods back again after they have finished filming!
Earlier in the year, Granada purchased props from Emmaus Mossley for another drama, "The Girls from Chernobyl", to be screened in February.
Emmaus Mossley welcomed two new volunteers, Alan and Sylvia. Before retirement, they had run shops selling ornaments and bric-a-brac, and had often come to Emmaus Mossley to look for items for their shops. Finding themselves with time to spare, they decided they wanted to give something back to the community. They sort clothing and bric-a-brac for sale in the shop and their expertise is proving valuable!
A party of visitors from Hem, Mossley's twin town in France, visited Mossley for the weekend. After enjoying the band contest on Whit Friday, they visited the Heritage Centre and Emmaus Mossley the following day.
Local MP James Purnell visited Emmaus Mossley and met companions, staff and trustees.
He was impressed by the range of goods on sale and bought a kettle for his office!
Emmaus Mossley began having a stall on Ashton Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. This will continue for a trial period to see if there is enough demand.
Lee Hartley is appointed to the post of Community Leader to support the Project Director, Paul Misik.
Companions at Emmaus Mossley ran a charity stall on Ashton Market to raise funds for victims of the Tsunami. Emmaus communities around the country have raised around £13,000 so far, which will help the work of the Emmaus projects in the Tamil Nadu area of India.
As an organisation whose main aim is to alleviate the plight of homeless people, Emmaus Mossley responded urgently to the needs of those who were affected by the South East Asian tsunami in India.
Emmaus Mossley is part of Emmaus International which already has several projects in Tamil Nadu in India. The coastline of Tamil Nadu was particularly affected by the tsunami. Emmaus International has therefore been able to provide emergency aid directly to those affected in the area.
Paul Misik, Emmaus Mossley's Project Director, said, "Like everyone else, the Companions at Emmaus Mossley were moved by the suffering caused by this natural disaster and, in line with Emmaus's policy on showing solidarity with all those in need throughout the world, they are keen to send aid."
Paul Misik took up the new post of Project Director at Emmaus Mossley at the start of 2005.
Paul is not new to Emmaus as he has previously worked for Emmaus UK.
Mossley companion, John Chappell, agreed to have his beard shaved and long hair cut in order to raise money for this year's Children in Need appeal. Fellow-companion Kevin Runham performed the hair-raising operation.
So far, at least £100 has been raised with more money promised. If you would like to support John for Children in Need, please bring or send a cheque made out to "Children in Need" to our Mossley office (address on home page).
Right: Bare-face meets bear face. A clean-shaven John poses for photos.
Richard Darlington took over as Acting Co-ordinator at Emmaus Mossley, after our previous co-ordinator took up a post at the new Emmaus Bolton.
Richard, a former trustee, who helped to establish the first Emmaus community in Britain, will run Emmaus Mossley until a replacement is appointed.
The Church Inn, Uppermill held its annual "Church Unplugged" charity musical event.
This year Emmaus Mossley was a nominated charity and £540 was raised! Many thanks to the landlord of the Church Inn, the organisers and all those who attended.
On a quiet, sunny Bank Holiday afternoon at Emmaus Mossley, a group of companions, staff, trustees and friends helped to plant flowers and shrubs in the new Companions' Garden, at the back of the mill.
Companions from Emmaus Mossley manned a bric-a-brac stall at the Mossley Canal Festival at Roaches Lock.
There was a re-union of many of those involved with the early years of Emmaus Mossley. The event was organised by Richard Darlington to mark his retirement as a trustee. Richard played a prominent part in bringing Emmaus to Greater Manchester.
A second Emmaus community in Greater Manchester has been given the go-ahead as planning permission has been granted for change of use of the former Territorial Army premises in Bolton.
Emmaus Mossley welcomes two new part-time support workers, Jodie Ashton and David Rigby
The Saddleworth Annual Joint Service in celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity happened to take place on Homelessness Sunday this year, 25 January.
The theme of the service was Faith in Action which was expressed through various presentations including Fair Trade and Homelessness. One of our trustees was given a slot in the service and spoke for the need for funds to construct five more bedrooms at Emmaus Mossley. There continues to be a strong demand for places.
The eleven Emmaus Communities in the UK have to turn away 300 people a week because of there being no room. Around £1200 (a figure helped by £740 being gift aided) was raised for Emmaus Mossley for which we are most grateful.
