Support for local social enterprise.
St Phillip’s Cathedral, one of the oldest buildings in the city, is also showing great community spirit by employing a member of the Jericho Cleaning social enterprise to keep the cathedral immaculate in the new year.
Built in 1715 as the new parish church ‘on the hill’, St Philip’s is Grade 1 listed and a rare and fine example of elegant English Baroque architecture. The Cathedral is Mother Church to the Diocese and hosts major diocesan celebrations including ordinations of priests and deacons to serve the Diocese. Situated in the heart of the business and administrative centre of the city, the Cathedral also has an important role in civic life, hosting Services and events through the year. The Cathedral is open every day for prayer, visitors, school parties or guided tours.
The Revd Canon Nigel Hand, Acting Dean of Birmingham (Canon Missioner), said “we are delighted to be employing a member of the Jericho Cleaning social enterprise. We are keen to support local social enterprises and want to build our relationship with the Jericho Foundation. We wholeheartedly endorse their mission to help disadvantaged local people back into training, employment and ultimately a valuable place in society.”
Jericho Cleaning is a leading social enterprise which is growing rapidly and delivering high levels of social value in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Jericho Cleaning provides a full range of contract hygiene services to a wide variety of businesses, schools and voluntary organisations. Jericho Cleaning sets high standards and works with those in real need – staff may suffer from a lack of skills or qualifications, homelessness or alcohol or substance misuse. One of the key priorities of Jericho Cleaning is to recruit people who are survivors of human trafficking.
Richard Beard, Chief Executive of Jericho commented: “Birmingham Cathedral is one of the landmark buildings in the city of Birmingham and has been a truly beautiful place of Christian worship for hundreds of years. It is an honour to be providing our social enterprise services and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial working relationship”.
The Jericho Foundation is a charity which breaks down barriers in society and supports disadvantaged people to become fulfilled, skilled and employed. Jericho works with a broad variety of deprived people who are struggling including young people, ex-offenders, homeless people and survivors of modern slavery. They provide work experience or paid employment in their eco-friendly social enterprises.
Alongside this, Jericho delivers a holistic package of support, guidance and training which is tailored to each client’s personal needs. This help enables the clients to end their dependency on benefits, secure sustainable employment and become an inclusive and integrated part of their local community. To find out more, visit http://jericho.org.uk