QSA and QHA merge
Practicalities of merger mean Quaker Open Christmas is cancelled this year
The Quaker Open Christmas run by Quaker Homeless Action (QHA) will not be taking place in 2020, due to the practicalities of its merger this month with Quaker Social Action (QSA).
QSA said it was ‘unfeasible for QSA to plan a Christmas shelter activity in a matter of weeks’, since the two charities merged with effect from 1 December under Quaker Social Action’s name.
However, QSA said that the charity plans to continue QHA’s longstanding mobile library, subject to Covid-19 risk assessments. The QSA management council (board of trustees) will be considering other ideas this month.
Peter Christmas, head of fundraising and communications at QSA, said that QSA was ‘privileged to take on responsibility for advancing QHA’s mission to offer fellowship, practical assistance to and a voice for homeless and marginalised people in Britain. We do so with humility, with great respect for what QHA achieved over the past half century, and with gratitude to QHA’s outgoing trustees for their part in a smooth and collaborative handover.’
He added that QSA particularly appreciates ‘the many volunteers and supporters who have made QHA’s work possible and whom we hope will remain involved as we move forward. We have enjoyed meeting many of them through the various listening exercises which we have facilitated in recent weeks to inform the development of our new homelessness services.
‘The passion and dedication of volunteers and supporters has come across very clearly, and we look forward to continuing this dialogue.’
One of these sessions can be heard via the QSA website. In a series of questions and answers on the page, it stresses that the organisations did not merge because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but had been discussing the merger for a year.
