Nick Albert, Chris Davies and Laszlo Somogyi completed the film as part of their coursework. They have already reported great feedback from people who have watched it and they look forward to receiving their grade during the summer months.

Ivor came into contact with NOAH through his work as Housing Project Manager for Luton Borough Council's New Homes for Luton Programme. Inspired by NOAH's work with homeless and vulnerable people, Ivor decided to undertake the 1,000 mile challenge to raise funds for NOAH and new facility the Luton Ark.

Ivor said "the ride between the two ends of Britain is my way of offering my support to NOAH and the homeless and vulnerable people of Luton. My family and I have a permanent roof over our heads. Others are not as fortunate". Ivor plans to use the challenge to raise an additional £5,000 for national charity Action Medical Research and is meeting all challenge costs himself in order that every penny pledged to him in sponsorship goes to the charities.

NOAH Chief Executive Jim O'Connor said: "Ivor s willingness to undertake this very tough challenge is very inspiring and humbling. The money Ivor raises will make a very real difference to lives of homeless and vulnerable people in Luton and help us in our own challenge - building our new facility, the Luton Ark. For over 20 years we have offered a practical and holistic route out of homelessness from a range of well loved, but increasingly obsolete buildings across Luton. Our new facility, the Luton Ark, will enable us to offer our existing services under one roof and support more people with new services such as supported accommodation. The money Ivor raises will be a considerable help towards achieving this.

"We wish Ivor all the best in his challenge and fundraising and would urge people to lend their support to his endeavour by sponsoring his journey."

Visit the Cycle Challenge page for more information about the challenge and how to sponsor Ivor.

The event is the idea of Community Police Officer, Amanda Salice who wanted to do something to support NOAH. Amanda, who is a member of South Luton Safer Neighbourhood Team is working in support of the event together with Laura Chalmers of Luton Borough Council. Both hope to raise as much money as possible to help NOAH continue to support the homeless and vulnerable people of Luton, and to enable work to begin on building NOAH's new facility, The Luton Ark.

Amanda said: "In every town and city there are people who have nowhere to sleep and who will end up sleeping in the open even in the bitterly cold weather we are experiencing at the moment.

"Many of these people have become homeless through no fault of their own and if charities such as NOAH didn't exist these vulnerable members of society would not receive any support to help change their lives for the better.

"We hope that lots of people will come along and join in the sponsored event which will see them sleeping rough for one night and experiencing some of the difficulties that rough sleepers have to endure on a nightly basis."

NOAH Chief Executive Jim O'Connor said: "The generosity of spirit and willingness to do the extraordinary for those less well off, as Amanda and her colleagues are doing here, is a striking reminder of the good in our community. Rough sleepers on the streets and in the environs of Luton are perhaps our community's starkest reminder of the problem of homelessness and extreme deprivation. The life expectancy of someone sleeping rough is just 42 years – half that of the average UK citizen. We hope this event will raise not only money to help us in our work but also a greater understanding of the plight of homeless people.

"For over 20 years, NOAH has been working to offer a practical, holistic and supported route out of homelessness. The reasons for homelessness are multiple and often overlapping and the journey back into society is hard. However, our results speak for themselves; over 1,000 people access our welfare services; 600 are helped with accommodation while they and others also benefit from medical/dental services, financial advice, counselling, training and work experience Our new building, the Luton Ark, will enable us to help even more people.

"In addition to Amanda and Laura we are very grateful to Bedfordshire Police and Luton Borough Council for their help with this event and would urge anyone with an interest in homelessness within their community to come forward and join us on the night of 30th March."

The event is due to take place on March 30 in St George's Square between 9pm and 6am.

NOAH, in partnership with Luton Borough Council, Midshires Search and Rescue Organisation and the St John´s Ambulance Service, operated the service from the Park Town Community Centre, just a short walk from NOAH´s Welfare Centre on Park Street. Hot drinks and warm meals were available as well as safe and comfortable sleeping arrangements. Breakfast and follow–up support was also available each morning at the NOAH Welfare Centre.

The Shelter was originally due to operate on Friday 18th – Sunday 20th December when temperatures were forecast at 0° or below, but was extended until 23rd December and again from 31st December through to 8th January due to consistently cold conditions. It follows on from the success of last year´s Shelter, also instigated and operated by NOAH and used by over 20 people.

In addition to the festive carol singing, they also performed a song about NOAH´s work, written as part of a competition held during the Giant Sleepout in November.

The NOAH Song (performed to the tune of Frere Jacques):

NOAH, NOAH. NOAH, NOAH.
They need you. They need you.
Come and help the homeless. Come and help the homeless.
Feel good too. Feel good too.
NOAH, NOAH. NOAH, NOAH.
They need food. They need food.
Give a small donation. Give a small donation.
Feel good too. Feel good too.
NOAH, NOAH. NOAH, NOAH.
They need shoes. They need shoes.
Come and give some clothing. Come and give some clothing.
Feel good too. Feel good too.

The event was very well received by all and raised £130 in donations.

Along with raising much needed funds for NOAH, the sleepover gave the young volunteers a chance to experience a little of what it might feel like to sleep rough for the night. There were also plenty of opportunities to learn more about NOAH´s work through a range of activities including jingle writing and NOAH-themed artwork. The winning jingle will be performed at our Christmas Carol Concert in the Mall Luton (17th December) whilst our two favourite drawings will feature in our 2009 Christmas Thank You advert and Christmas card (see below).

Jim O´Connor from NOAH Enterprise said: "Yet again it was a terrific event – the children always enter into the spirit of the evening whole heartedly. And not only does it raise valuable funds, but it also helps them to understand the plight of homeless people in their home town."

Sue Hunt, division commissioner, Girlguiding Luton South Division, said: "The children had a fantastic time – not only did they enjoy sleeping in The Mall with their friends but they also learned a great deal about the issues faced by the homeless and the work that NOAH Enterprise do."

The event was organised by the Mall Luton who have once again adopted NOAH as their chosen charity of the year.

The improvements include new registration procedures at the Chapel Street Walk-In Centre allowing homeless patients to register for a GP, and a streamlined Mental Health Service assessment and referral process.

Improved access to health and social care services forms one of the Government´s 15 points on their action plan to end rough sleeping and homelessness. Good access to GP and mental health services reduce pressure on other NHS services and are often the first step towards greater health, stability and independence.

People living on the streets or in poor quality temporary accommodation are more likely to experience health problems but less likely to have good access to medical services. NOAH is now able to issue referral letters to allow clients with no fixed address to register with a GP at the Chapel Street NHS Walk-In Centre. This allows them to drop in without an appointment and access advice, assessment and treatment for minor ailments and injuries.

Homeless people are also more likely to suffer from mental health problems, an estimated 30 – 50% of all homeless people in the UK have mental health problems compared with just 10 – 25 % of the general population. NOAH is now working with a Community Psychiatric Nurse to streamline the assessment and referral process for NOAH Service Users. Assessments can take place at the NOAH Day Centre, at hostels or even out on the street.

GP Peter Ward says “In negotiating the contract for the GP Town Centre Practice at the NHS Walk in Centre I stressed that the unit would have to be all inclusive and have no rules nor barriers to prevent the Homeless and Hard to Reach patients from registering and receiving their full entitlement to Primary Care and then ongoing referral to Secondary Care where appropriate. This means that they can be followed up, and with the help of NOAH, have continuity in their care. This is an enormous step forward and a relatively unique venture. I hope as many as possible will avail themselves of the service”.

The garden represents a pathway through homelessness and towards the realisation of personal potential. The garden's message is the unlocking of potential; a symbolic path made up of thousands of old keys further reinforces this message. A video from project leaders The Eden Project explains the garden in greater detail:

Chief executive Jim O'Connor said: "Being asked to take part in an event as prestigious as the Chelsea Flower Show was, we thought, amazing but to win a silver medal for the project we were involved in is almost beyond words."

The award-winning garden was a unique collaboration between five separate groups - the Eden Project, Homes & Communities Agency, Communities and Local Government, Homeless Link and the London Employer Accord. All the materials used are from recycled or sustainable resources which will be broken down and re-used after the show.

You can find out more about the garden at the Key Garden blog, Eden website Key garden photo gallery and Architecture sans Frontières-UK website.

Streetwise Opera run a weekly music programme at NOAH and 10 other homeless centres throughout the UK, using music as a tool to help homeless people move forward in their lives. Through July and August 2008 the composer Mira Calix and the video artists Flat-e worked with all the groups to create My Secret Heart.

NOAH client and My Secret Heart performer 'Tommy' Thompson said simply "It was a magic night, very special". The other five NOAH performers; Lorraine Major, Phil O'Shea, John 'Cutty' Smith, Robert O'Rourke and Tim Foley all agreed with Tommy, adding that they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The Royal Philharmonic Society described the performance as "A work of the highest quality from a company engaging with profound issues, Streetwise Opera's My Secret Heart drew audiences to three multi-media performances involving 100 homeless participants. Imaginative viral and press marketing continues to build and inspire new audiences as a film and music version tours 40 venues and festivals worldwide".

The Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards are the most prestigious accolade for live classical music-making in the United Kingdom. The Audience Development Award was hosted in partnership with Classic FM.

In a surprisingly relaxed and informal visit, Kevin spoke to three NOAH clients whose lives have been turned around with help from NOAH. Kevin also paid a visit to the Welfare Centre where, having heard lots about NOAH's Adults Facing Chronic Exclusion (ACE) project prior to his visit, he particularly enjoyed the experience of seeing the project in action.

NOAH Chief Executive Jim O'Connor said "everyone involved in this visit was charmed by Kevin's friendly manner and genuine interest in the work undertaken by NOAH. We hope he will return to Westminster with a deeper understanding of the power and impact of Third Sector organisations such as NOAH".

Understanding wasn't the only thing Kevin returned to London with. On a tour of the NOAH white goods refurbishment area a fridge-freezer prompted him to reach for his cheque book and now has proud residence in his kitchen.

The Scouts ranged from 6 year old Beaver Scouts to 18 year old Explorer Scouts. One young Scout said "it's sad to know that some people will have to sleep on the hard ground this Christmas. But I'm glad NOAH can help them."

NOAH Chief Executive Jim O'Connor said "it was truly heart-warming to see the effort these young people put into raising funds for NOAH. What was even more heartening was the compassion they showed for the many individuals NOAH Enterprise helps."

Someries District Commissioner Kam Patel, who co-ordinated the Scouts effort added ""sleeping overnight in your local shopping centre certainly isn't an everyday occurrence! More importantly, the Scouts learnt a lot about the issues faced by the homeless and in true scouting tradition they gave something back to the community."

Brian McFarland, General Manager of The Mall Arndale, Luton concluded, "as far as I'm aware this is the first time that any shopping centre in the UK has held an overnight sleepover on such a scale. The whole event has been deemed a great success by all involved. I'd like to extend a big thank-you to all of the Scouts involved. They really entered into the spirit of the event and had great fun while learning about the issues faced by the homeless and disadvantaged in the area. We're delighted that we can play our part in helping NOAH Enterprise to raise funds and increase awareness of their work among future generations."

The sleepover took place on 8th November 2008, with a cheque presented to NOAH on 23^rd December. Find out more about the Luton Scouts and their sleepover.

The performance was produced by electronic composer and artist Mira Calix, video artists Flat-e and sound designer Dave Sheppard, and is reviewed here by NOAH Chief Executive Jim O'Connor:

On a crisp evening in December, in the Royal Festival Hall, something rather unique and wonderful was taking place, the official premiere of My Secret Heart, a spectacular audio-visual experience.

This was no ordinary musical drama; the audience was seated in a circle around a 360-degree screen which showed a silhouette response to a choral work inspired by Allegri's 17th-century piece, Miserere Mei. Encircling the audience and providing the choral accompaniment, in Latin, were participants from ten homeless projects nationwide. Here we, the audience, were listening to a polished, attractively different musical performance, professionally delivered by people who were working their way from homelessness and the margins of society. The performers' new-found confidence and growing self esteem were inspiring and evoked prolonged applause at the end of the evening.

The whole experience was made possible by Streetwise Opera, one of the most innovative charities in the country, who use music as a tool to help people who have experienced homelessness move forward in their lives. Having worked with Streetwise and been involved with the Festival Hall production, we at NOAH Enterprise have seen at first hand, the life-changing impact that such a partnership can bring.

The new shop will sell a range of New Furniture, Used Furniture and Kitchen Appliances.

The opening day follows 8 weeks of exhaustive work by the whole Social Enterprise team and is the result of a partnership between NOAH and The Mall Arndale and funding support from the Big Lottery Fund's Community Recycling and Economic Development Programme (CRED) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Go to our Visit Our Shops page for further information.

The competition, which attracted 85 entrants, chose winners based on the innovative and entrepreneurial ways they supported people to return to stable accommodation and employment.

Spark was launched in December 2007 and founded on the conviction that the enterprise approach offers a long-term and sustainable way to address homelessness and that cross-sector partnerships are the best way to foster this model.

In addition to £4,000, NOAH will also receive business coaching and mentoring from high-profile social entrepreneurs, including Nigel Kershaw, Chief executive of Big Issue Invest and Timothy Campbell, the first winner of The BBC‘s The Apprentice, plus business insights and management support from Spark‘s corporate partners: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Places for People and BT.

Visit the Spark website for further information and to view NOAH's Case Study video

Applicants were judged on the effect of the day centre's work on the community, the partnership between the day centre's service users, staff and management and the effect of its links with the community on the day centre itself.

NOAH was recognised for its role as a broad contributor to the social benefit of the community as well as its services to homeless people. The judges were also particularly impressed with the holistic aspect to NOAH‘s service and the way in which the furniture and white goods social enterprise provides opportunities for service users and other individuals from the local community to gain work experience in a genuine business environment as well as being a good source of second-hand and new furniture and white goods for the general public, landlords and businesses.

The award was collected by NOAH Chief Executive Jim O‘Connor and Day Centre Manager Philippa.

Visit the Homeless Link website for further information.

The new facility will enable NOAH to expand both the quantity and variety of furniture and domestic appliances undergoing restoration and refurbishment. Refurbishment works include essential maintenance works and the creation of workshop, testing and storage areas.

This project is the result of a partnership between NOAH and Luton Borough Council and funding support from the Big Lottery Fund‘s Community Recycling and Economic Development Programme (CRED) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The NOAH project will introduce a Street Outreach service to Luton in order to proactively engage with people in acute need. NOAH's Support Workers will then identify the most excluded adults in Luton and help them engage with services to address all their needs such as substance misuse, housing and employment.

The ACE Programme is designed to test new approaches to tacking chronic social exclusion amongst the most marginalised people in society. Four Government Departments are sponsoring the programme: Home Office, Communities and Local Government, Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions. NOAH was chosen because of its unique ability to attract and work with socially excluded people others find hard to reach, and was the only project in the East of England to receive support.

Jim O'Connor Chief Executive of NOAH said: "We are delighted at being part of Adult Facing Chronic Exclusion (ACE) programme. We have seen how the approach of NOAH can help people to regain strength and self-confidence, attain essential skills and successfully turn their lives around. This opportunity will allow us build on our success, reach out to even more people in the community and help them to engage with the range of services we offer."

Visit the ACE Programme website for further information.