This year, Trinity Winchester is one of Shentons’ chosen charities. They have been carrying out essential work in our local community since 1986, providing advice and support to socially deprived people in Winchester.

In January, our Family Department headed down to Trinity to volunteer in the kitchen and prepare a meal for the service users. This was an amazing experience and allowed us to speak one to one with numerous service users as well as contribute to the day to day running of the service.

The legal aid work in our Family and Criminal Law departments is focused on supporting vulnerable members of our community. People living in poverty, with insecure housing or in abusive homes are sadly more likely to come into contact with our justice system or care system. They often don’t have the luxury of spare funds to instruct a solicitor or to pay for support services. It is central to our values to help marginalised people access the justice they deserve.

In addition to the widely publicised support for the homeless and vulnerably homed in Winchester, Trinity also runs a specialist Women’s Service which supports women in addressing a number of vulnerabilities including the effects of trauma, domestic abuse, loneliness, and unemployment alongside any other issues they may be facing. A majority of the work that our Family Team carries out intersects with domestic abuse in some way, they see the devastating effects of abuse every day and the value that support from charities like Trinity can bring to the lives of victims of abuse.

This new year has brought with it even more exciting fundraising and volunteering opportunities. We recently sponsored An Evening with Dan Snow at the Theatre Royal Winchester organised by the Winchester Rotary; this event was to raise money specifically for Trinity Women’s Service and Hope Street.