Crisis Skylight London 20th Anniversary Event

Hello, I am Laura Pugh and I have recently joined the Philanthropy Team here at Crisis as a Philanthropy Account Manager. On Tuesday 18th October 2022 (my second week in my new role) we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of our London Skylight.

Our guests were greeted by Matt Downie (Crisis Chief Executive) Tania Marsh (Director of Crisis Skylight London) as well as a number of Skylight London’s fantastic frontline staff.

Following a magical performance by our member choir, our frontline teams discussed the legacy of the Skylight, and how the landscape that we operate in has changed over the last 20 years. In order to meet the changing needs of our members and ensure our buildings work in harmony with our services, we have found a new home for our London Skylight.

Tania explained that next year our London Skylight will move to a new building, which is just a few doors down the road-

I am extremely pleased to say that we have invested in a new building and with your help, we will create a pioneering centre offering in-depth support. It will be a safe and welcoming space that allows us to respond effectively to people’s needs as their situations change. And it will encourage innovation and collaboration between services in the area.

Our guests also had the chance to visit the new building, where one of our Clinical Psychologists explained how our new building will create spaces that empower and support Crisis members experiencing trauma –

At Crisis, we focus on ‘what’s happened’ to a person rather than ‘what’s wrong’ with them. With this new building we want to make sure that when people take that step of walking through our doors, they won’t feel retraumatised in our spaces, and will feel supported to access the help they need to rebuild their lives.

As a new member of staff, the event provided me with a unique insight into how hard the Skylight London staff have worked over the past 20 years to make the Skylight and the support it offers its members, what it is today. I was struck by their care and compassion for every person that walks through the door and their dedication to improving the support they offer people experiencing homelessness in London.

We really look forward to keeping you updated on the new home for our Skylight – in the meantime, if you would like a tour at any time or would like to hear more, please contact the Philanthropy Team philanthropy@crisis.org.uk.