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November was AGM season, and many of Bede’s friends and supporters joined us in another special event. This was our main opportunity to report back to our members, and to celebrate with everyone that makes Bede so special. Bede President, Bishop Christopher Chessun, led the event and members from the Centre really stole the show with their opening catwalk!
The Starfish team presented the last 10 years of Bede’s work supporting survivors of domestic abuse. We were joined by a guest of the service who spoke powerfully about her experiences. We have been successful in being awarded Southwark’s contract to run the commissioned service supporting survivors of gender-based abuse and domestic abuse. We will be leading this service, in partnership with other Southwark charities, from February 2026.
We have managed to continue much as usual this year and are busier than ever. This is in itself a considerable achievement and testament to Bede’s resilience. There have been some very visible disruptions to our work, most notably because the Maydew Tower next to the Centre has been demolished this year. We have been grateful to all our supporters for supporting us through continual uncertainty. We are particularly grateful to the National Lottery Reaching Communities fund, which is supporting Bede through to 2030. The Lottery has been very supportive of Bede as an anchor for the local community, and particularly of its role in providing a welcoming base for local people with learning disabilities as part of the wider neighbourhood.
Thank you to everyone for making 2025 so successful. We look forward to everything that 2026 will bring!