We had the absolute pleasure of celebrating this incredible milestone alongside them.

Supporters, donors, business partners, volunteers, staff, local dignitaries, and everyone else connected to Emmanuel House gathered to mark the moment in central Nottingham.

There were guided tours of the building, a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by one of Emmanuel House's own beneficiaries, and a performance from Grassroots Choir, a community choir who rehearse at Emmanuel House every week.

It was a lovely chance to look back at the five decades of service to Nottingham, and to look ahead to the next chapter for the charity.

For anyone who doesn't know the full story behind the Emmanuel House Support Centre’s building, Nottingham City Council offered Emmanuel House a once-in-a-generation opportunity to buy the building outright, protecting its future for decades to come. The total cost was £535,000, and early supporters, alongside the charity's own reserves, got them to around £460,000, leaving a final £75,000 to raise in a matter of weeks.

That's a huge amount for any charity to find, let alone in that timeframe.

What happened next is a real testament to their reputation, their work, and the people and businesses of this city. The public appeal hit its target in under a week. Local donors, businesses, and organisations, including Nottingham Building Society, who more than doubled their contribution, rallied behind the campaign until the gap was closed.

As a CIC ourselves, we know exactly what a permanent home means. It means Emmanuel House can plan for the future with certainty, rather than facing the constant uncertainty of a lease. It means the drop-in support, the breakfasts and lunches, the advice and advocacy that thousands have relied on over five decades, can carry on without that uncertainty hanging over them.

We work in the same city, toward the same goal of supporting people rebuilding their lives after homelessness and instability. Seeing an organisation with 50 years behind it secure its foundations for the next 50 is encouraging, and a reminder of what's possible when a whole community decides something matters enough to fight for.

Congratulations, Emmanuel House. We were incredibly proud to celebrate this moment alongside you, and we're raising a glass to the next fifty years.

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