The Passage, the centre for the homeless, held an exhibition of photographs on January 18 to capture the life of the centre over the last 30 years as part of its anniversary celebrations.
The specially commissioned exhibition of portrait photographs featured 30 key individuals who have been involved with the Passage, taken by 30 photographers, including major names such as James Eckersley, Tom Hunter, Martin Brent and Alan Mahon.
These award-winning photographers have donated their time and skill to take the photographs of 30 past and present clients, staff and supporters of the Passage, including Rory Bremner, Sir Stuart Rose and Cherie Blair.
The event was hosted by the Land Securities SW1 Gallery in Cardinal Place, Victoria, and was sponsored by Victoria BID and Hard Rock Café and supported by Laurent Perrier. The project was managed by 85Four.
The exhibition ran until January 29. Sir Stuart Rose, a long-standing supporter of the Passage spoke of his interest in the work of the Passage from when he rejoined Marks and Spencer in 2004. He noted the support of Hard Rock Café for the Passage and said that Marks and Spencer as a big business and other big businesses thought it important to support the Passage’s work.
He admired the practical hands-on work of the charity helping individual homeless people to find a way forward from homelessness.
He was particularly impressed by the support given to enable homeless people to return to work including those who had found work with Marks and Spencer.
Mick Clarke, chief executive of the Passage said: “My thanks to everyone who has sponsored this wonderful annual report and exhibition, all at no cost to the Passage.
“Special thanks to the photographers and subjects and also to 85Four who for so many years have been supporting us by producing our annual reports.
“They are truly exceptional and I don’t know what we would do without them. Thirty years ago, Cardinal Basil Hume asked the Daughters of Charity if they would open the basement of St Vincent’s Centre to provide care for those sleeping on the streets around Victoria; thus the Passage was born.
“Thirty years on, we now provide the UK’s largest day centre for homeless people, giving diverse services to meet our clients’ complex needs, as well as accommodation projects.
“We have never lost our founding principles of providing long-term, not short term, solutions, addressing the root causes that led to someone becoming homeless so that they can end their cycle of homelessness for good, and most of all empowering our clients to transform their own lives.”
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