3 good news stories to make you smile

We all need some good news every now and again!

Every day God is working across our planet, through people from all walks of life, to change their communities, schools, and workplaces; ordinary people are doing extraordinary things.

Here at Spring Harvest, we are privileged to hear so many stories of inspirational people from all over the world that are busy doing incredible things all year round.

Here are three great stories that we hope will encourage and inspire you.

Zarach - Leeds

Zarach is a charity based in Leeds, set up by a primary school teacher called Bex. Their mission is to deliver beds and basics to children in poverty, which helps families in crisis rise up from surviving to thriving so children can eat, sleep and learn. This amazing initiative came into being after Bex saw first hand the impact that the lack of sleep can have on children.

Bex shares:

“I’m a Deputy Head Teacher in inner-city Leeds. In 2017, whilst teaching an 11-year old boy, I noticed he wasn’t his usual self so I asked if he was feeling tired. His response and that moment, not that I knew it at the time, were to change both my life and his. ‘Miss, I am always tired. I don’t have a bed.’

After speaking with mum it became clear that the family had experienced a crisis resulting in an unplanned house move to an unfurnished home. The three children shared a bed bug infested old sofa cushion to sleep on. They were covered in sores. Mum felt like she had no hope and nowhere to turn. Despite working in a city with lots of brilliant community organisations, I discovered there wasn’t any help available to get the children beds.

I realised I had a choice; to be satisfied with trying to meet his needs within the classroom because that is what I’m paid to do, or to continue to be the best teacher I can be whilst using my time and influence to make sure every child in our city (and now beyond) has their basic needs met. If a child sleeps and eats well they learn better. Fact. Education is the key to breaking the poverty cycle. It’s time we even out the playing field.”

Bex Wilson, Founder and Chair of Trustees

The incredible work carried out by Zarach not only has a huge impact on the families that the charity serves but also has inspired a huge community of volunteers, all passionate about helping children to eat, sleep and learn. In April, Zarach reached the milestone of 4,000 beds delivered, with still more to do to help end child bed poverty in Leeds and beyond.

Bramber Bakehouse

"I learnt I was born with the skills to do anything. It's really given me strength to go on." Bramber Bakehouse Graduate

Bramber Bakehouse, an award-winning charity based in Eastbourne, exists to break cycles of poverty, violence and disadvantage once and for all, supporting women who’ve experienced abuse, exploitation or displacement with the confidence, skills and knowledge for a positive future. Using baking as a tool, Bramber’s programme provides baking, wellbeing and employability skills-based training in a safe, caring environment.

Staggeringly, 1 in 3 women globally have experienced gender-based violence in their lifetime, and women and girls represent 65% of all trafficked victims around the world. Bramber Bakehouse provides workshops for women like this, who have suffered violence and oppression.

"Bramber Bakehouse is the motivation I needed. You just need to enter to see what you can achieve and go out and get it." - Bramber Bakehouse Graduate

Bramber’s nurturing programme creates an environment for women to heal, feel valued, gain confidence and build skills for the future, aiming to support women to move to voluntary work, paid work or further education.

Bramber Bakehouse’s work is truly remarkable. Follow them on social media for more information, or visit their website which is full of good news stories of their vision in practice.

Bridge the Gap

Bridge the Gap is a football community, aiming to build relationships, develop leaders and transform lives. They bring people together from different backgrounds and walks of life through football. This all happens across multiple sites around the UK, where they bridge gaps between football and local church communities.

The Bridge the Gap team trains volunteers in local churches on how to literally bridge the gap between football and churches for 18s-30’s. These volunteers run a programme that included community sessions, small groups and Alpha courses.

Bridge the Gap target men in the 18s-30s because suicide is the most most significant cause of death for males under 45 and 1 in 8 men experience mental health difficulties. Their aim is to create communities where men can come into a welcoming environment and feel like they are able to speak about their mental health, addictions and decrease social isolation.

We love their vision of making sure nurturing communities are created, giving space for difficult conversations. Check out their website for a map of their sites and how you can support their work!