HOSTEL heroes were honoured after they received awards for going 'above and beyond' to help the city's homeless people.

St Paul's Hostel in Tallow Hill, Worcester, yesterday hosted the High Sheriff of Worcestershire as he recognised what Frances Martin, vice-chair of the trustees, called 'the collective Herculean effort' of the hostel's unsung heroes.

The purpose of the visit was to recognise five people who had gone ‘above and beyond’ in supporting St Paul’s during the pandemic, many former residents who have turned their lives around.

The High Sheriff for Worcestershire, Andrew Manning-Cox, presented individual lapel pins to five people at St Paul’s Hostel who have made such a big difference to residents from helping in the battle against addiction to keeping the hostel in good working order. 

Worcester News: High Sheriff's Award to St Paul's Hostel High Sheriff's Award to St Paul's Hostel (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

The recipients are Carl Withers (volunteer, hostel handyman, supporter of St Paul's and Big Sleep Out veteran), a resident and peer mentor gardener who did not want to be named, Ryan Bird (a peer support worker in the Housing First Service who has battled drug addiction and now helps others fight theirs), Nick Carter (a former resident, now working in NHS ambulatory patient transport and volunteer on the Housing First service) and another hostel resident and kitchen assistant. 

Most of the recipients are residents or former residents at St Paul’s who are now making a big contribution to helping at the hostel.

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The contributions made by the individuals included keeping the St Paul’s gardens well maintained, preparing and serving food, volunteering and helping others with emotional and practical support.

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St Paul’s Hostel also received a £3,000 award from Worcestershire Community Foundation’s High Sheriff Fund, recognising the achievement of the organisation during the pandemic.

The hostel did not close during the pandemic and staff and residents worked together to keep Covid cases to zero for over 20 months.

In collaboration with District and Borough councils and Housing Associations, a new Countywide Housing First service was launched in early 2020 which coincided with the pandemic lockdown.

By the early summer the service rehomed about a dozen recurrently homeless people and now has capacity to provide housing with intensive support for up to 42 people.

Receiving the award on behalf of St Paul’s Hostel, Vice Chair of Trustees Frances Martin said: “It is easy to overlook the people who may not think their efforts were particularly special when in fact they made an outstanding contribution. I am delighted for the five who have received recognition from the High Sheriff today”.

St Paul's was established in 1977 from a collection of church groups who got together to do something about the people who slept rough on the streets of Worcester. The mission of the charity is to help people live through homelessness.

The Office of High Sheriff is an independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year. The origins of the Office date back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order within the shire, or county, and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown.