This splendid cake was made to to celebrate the formal opening of the rebuilt Shaftesbury Hall in Bowes Park on Saturday 9th February. The building is owned by North London Samaritans and replaces a Victorian "tin tabernacle" - a small self-assembly chapel built predominantly of corrugated metal and intended as a place of worship for employees of the neighbouring railway.
The new building combines offices for the Samaritans with a hall that can be hired for community and private functions. The £650,000 that it cost to build was mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, supplemented by over £100,000 raised from large and small donations.
The major fundraising effort behind rebuilding the hall may be over, but North London Samaritans, despite having no paid staff, do have to pay the same utility bills as the rest of us, as well as costs for training and publicity materials. In all it costs about £500 per week to continue to provide emotional support to those who need it. Most of this money comes from individual support, people like you. Click here to find out how to donate.
