Established in 1999 by a group of local GP’s, the Karis Neighbour Scheme was originally set up to help people in the area whose needs were going unmet. Registered a trust in April 1999, we became a registered charity in August of the same year.

Aided by several local churches in the area, we aimed to counter the threat to the community posed by poor housing, isolation and loneliness.

Karis allowed the people of the local Ladywood community to begin supporting each other through volunteering, initially through simple measures such as helping with gardening and decorating just to ease the burden on some people.

Originally consisting of a single part-time member of staff and a handful of volunteers, the Scheme has grown year on year, expanding into areas such as Edgbaston and Harborne.

It was this transition into Harborne that opened our eyes to the large numbers of elderly people living in isolation and suffering from terrible loneliness. This led to the formation of our befriending scheme, offering support and friendship to our elderly friends in their own homes.

2008 saw us launch our All Being Well project, funded by the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund. We are now halfway into this 4 year initiative, which sees us actively encouraging ‘well-being’ in Ladywood, leading to an increase in the quality of mental health amongst our residents.

In addition to our own efforts at Karis, we have also held links with a number of other organisations and projects, and we were one of the first organisations to participate in the SureStart pilot scheme. We have also worked in partnership with Restore, an organisation working with refugees and asylum seekers, and it is through our work with them that we are able to provide our English classes and the Welcome to Ladywood group.

We are also involved in the Hope Housing partnership, helping to provide housing and accommodation to destitute asylum seekers in Birmingham.

We are always on the lookout for ways in which we can improve, and we are confident that the future looks bright both for Karis Neighbour Scheme and for our community!