Why Curio Conference is supporting The Clock Tower Sanctuary

All the profits from Curio are going to the Clock Tower Sanctuary, a charity that supports homeless young people in Brighton and Hove. We went to visit and met Fundraising Assistant Alison Boyce to find out more about the charity and its work.

The image shows Alison Boyce, a smiling woman with blond hair and glasses standing in front of a notice board covered in announcements and artwork.

Brighton has the second largest homeless population in the UK. One in 69 people in the city are homeless.

It’s hard not to feel hopeless in the face of those numbers. And it doesn’t seem like there’s a solution in sight. There’s a shortfall in social housing, gentrification is making the rental market ever more unaffordable, and we have the perennial problem of being hemmed in by the Downs and the sea.

The image shows artwork on a noticeboard, and a poem that reads: ‘I am cold. I am always tired. I am bored of being in charge. I am scared to trust. I am a stranger to feeling safe. I am angry about having to fight for everything. I am afraid to be sober. I am hungry for so many things. I am sixteen, streetwise, shattered and scared. Call me hopeless. Name me homeless.’

But visiting The Clock Tower Sanctuary made us feel hopeful. It’s tucked away down one of Brighton’s many twittens: dark, narrow alleyways hidden behind the main streets. From the moment you step inside it lives up to the name ‘sanctuary’: it’s warm and bright, welcoming you with the smell of home-cooked food.

Alison gave me a tour and explained that up to 25 homeless young people come here each day. There’s a well-stocked kitchen, a shower, washing machines and dryers, lockers, computers, books, games, a table tennis table… It’s somewhere to do those mundane activities you can take for granted. But for people sleeping rough, sofa surfing or in insecure housing, those things are an anchor to normality and stability.

The image shows brightly-coloured graffiti on a wall inside a room. It depicts a boy and girl playing table tennis, Brighton’s Clock Tower a carrot and a rainbow.

There’s a lot more that happens here too. Alison introduced me to some of the team of volunteers who run Clock Tower Sanctuary, and help the young people who come in with things like getting access to housing, mental health services and doctor’s appointments. There’s also access to education and courses, like money management, writing a CV, photography and music.

The brightest point of the visit was hearing about the success stories. ‘We had one young lad who came to us and loved cooking. We helped him to get on the right track, and now he’s working in a Michelin-starred restaurant,’ Alison told me. This isn’t an isolated story: the charity has helped hundreds of young people get on their feet and into housing, work and training over the last 20 years.

The image shows a coffee table with a pot of pens and some paper on it. There’s a stack of books in the background.

The Clock Tower Sanctuary is reliant on donations from the public and local businesses. We’re donating all the profits from Curio Conference to the charity. Lou and I aren’t taking a fee for organising the event, and we’ve kept our running costs as low as possible. Tickets are ‘pay-what-you-can’ so when you buy your ticket, please do ‘pay-as-much-as-you-can’ and support this amazing charity. Our suggested ticket price of £20 will pay for a hot meal for 10 people.

You can buy your ticket here: www.curioconference.com