VES End of Week Team Update | Spotlight on Next Steps

Hi wonderful VES team,

What a really good start to the new academic year!

Tuesday’s registration morning went smoothly, and then Wednesday and Thursday felt like a genuinely strong start back: busy tables, great classes, lots of warm welcomes and a lovely atmosphere. A huge thank you to everyone who served this week.

BACK AT IT ON WEDNESDAY!

Spotlight on Next Steps

One of my highlights was hearing about some of the steps several of our students have taken over the summer.

One student proudly arrived with their certificate for passing the Life in the UK test. Several have started further education courses, and a few are keenly asking about opportunities to volunteer and give something back to VES themselves.

I love this part of what VES does. We are often the soft start that helps someone begin building a sustained and thriving life in a new country. English classes matter, of course, but so do confidence, relationships, encouragement and having somewhere trustworthy to keep checking in. There’s something of the Good Samaritan in that. Loving our neighbour wasn’t simply about helping someone in the immediate crisis; the Samaritan made sure there was ongoing care and a place from which recovery could continue.  We’re very glad to play our small part in that for people in Croydon.

Practicalities

We’re now into a run of full Monday toThursday weeks, before our two-week half-term break beginning week commencing 19th October.

We currently have several people exploring volunteering with us, which is encouraging, but we are still a little short on teachers and team members across the days.

If you know someone who might be a good fit for serving at VES, September is a great time to invite them to explore it. Their first step is simply to arrange a visit one morning by emailing me at andy@croydonvineyard.org.uk. No pressure and no immediate commitment - just come and see VES in action.

VES Dashboard — Week at a Glance

● 9 classes, 1 crèche session and 1 registration morning delivered across 3 days
● 129 student sessions enabled, 20 brand new students registered
● 36 team sessions given
● 185 weekly participants
● Exactly level with Week 1 last year — 0% change!  

A very encouraging foundation for the term ahead.

ps - you can see a few more snaps of the week on our instagram and facebook accounts!