Our history
Discover the Gilgal founding story
Gilgal was founded over three decades ago, by the joint efforts of two local churches, on Christian Faith and principles. We were later joined by our sister organisations Jericho – a place to support people back into employment – and Bethel – a place of healing› and wellbeing, to jointly become the Cairns Consortium. A prominent figure in the founding of all three charities was Dr Christine Parkinson, who believed she was called on by God to start the three new ventures to support and uplift her community. 30 years later, they are well-established, independent charities that partner and collaborate together. In 1993, Gilgal was searching for the perfect property to help us in our mission, when we found the ideal place. Our money and time was limited, and there was a fear we would not be able to acquire the house. However, with just an hour left until the deadline, we were able to obtain the money down to the pound, thanks to the generosity of two local churches. Days later we moved into the newly renovated, eight bedroom property! What can we say – we believe miracles can happen!
For 20 years that property was our only location, before we moved to our current property, which has 14 bedrooms that can accommodate our women plus an additional 13 children. Our expansion means that we are able to help more women and children, and rebuild more lives!
You may be wondering what happened to our original location; the building was incredibly special to us as we feel that God put this building in our hearts when we first opened. With the help of our sister organisation Jericho’s help, we have turned it into five self-contained flats which serve as “move on” properties for when our women are ready to leave the refuge. To be able to give this building a renewed purpose has been a full circle moment for us; it helped us get started, and now we can give our residents that same chance.
The original Gilgal logo, by Maggie Hazel
The name “Gilgal” loosely translates from Hebrew as “circle of stones”. In the Bible, it is used as a symbol for sanctuary from oppression and persecution. The original Gilgal logo was created by Maggie Hazel 30 years ago to illustrate the related story in the Bible (Joshua 4:19). Due to Christine’s calling, church funding, and the origins of our name, the organisation of Gilgal chooses to embody the Christian values of tolerance, equality, and love, and we ask that all residents, employees and trustees embody these values too. Gilgal is a place of acceptance and safety, we therefore welcome those of all faiths, or none, into the refuge, and hold regular celebrations of religious festivals such as Christmas, Eid and Diwali. These events are designed to bring our staff and residents together as a community, share their own experiences, and learn from one another with no discrimination or judgement.
Our values
At Gilgal, our culture is one of family; a close knit team, ready and waiting to welcome in women and children to need our support. Whilst our values stem from the Christian faith, they are embodied by many religions, communities and individual around the world.
- Tolerance
Gilgal is a safe place of confidence, support, and nurturing. We do not censure, stereotype, or discriminate. We are accepting of all faiths and backgrounds, and celebrate the differences in each unique woman. (Bible reference: Matthew 7:1) - Equality
We believe that every person is made equal, regardless of gender, ethnicity, faith, or upbringing. No man or woman is worth more than you, or has the right to control you. (Bible reference: Galations 3:28) - Love
We always strive to be patient and kind, and to treat others as we would wish to be treated ourselves. Gilgal is a place of acceptance, growth, and new beginnings; we help our women learn to love themselves again, so that they may rebuild their lives. (Bible reference: 1 Corinthians 13)
These values underpin everything we do at Gilgal.
Our key goals
From the Gilgal Strategic Plan, these goals facilitate ongoing optimisation and progression for our organisation, and aim to take it through to 2029.
A safe and welcoming refuge
We will refurbish and maintain a high standard of accommodation at our current refuge, with a view to move to a larger building of our own.
Our staff always strive to provide individual, tailored support, encouraging residents to develop new skills, and contribute to the running and success of Gilgal. We provide a friendly, approachable environment that is inclusive to all.
Pictured: The Gilgal office, beautifully refurbished by Spacious Places. Not only is it a calm and comfortable place for our staff to work, it also provides a welcoming drop-in space for residents to come for support and a chat.
Links with the local community
We will continue to facilitate access to health care, career support, skills development, and social opportunities, in order to aid our residents to integrate back into the community. We will remain open to ideas, challenges, and other points of view, and freely share resources, skills, and opportunities.
Pictured: Our residents enjoying a Forest School taster day with our partner Eco Birmingham. Skills learned included cooking, foraging, and using natural materials to create art.
Facilitate resident next steps
Once our residents are ready to move on from the refuge, we will endeavour to provide self-contained flats as a next step to independence. Where a Gilgal-owned property is not available, we will facilitate a move into appropriate social, private, or local authority housing.
Once a resident has been successfully rehomed, we will continue to provide light touch support, ensuring their continued wellbeing and growth.
Pictured: One of our residents has renovated her move-on flat, laying her own flooring and really making it her own. She has added value to the property and proved how useful DIY skills can be!
A Gilgal family approach
We will create opportunities for residents to get involved with the running and maintenance of the refuge, including applying and sharing their own expertise, to grow their self-confidence and independence.
With our growing network of Gilgal alumni, we will create opportunities for past and present residents to interact socially, and in tutoring, volunteering, and mentoring capacities. This will create a Gilgal family of women helping women.
Pictured: The living room in the Gilgal refuge, where the curtains, window seat and cushions were all created by residents during a sewing class. The cupboard doors were even fitted by one resident who is particularly interested in DIY.
Income diversity
Our aim is to become less reliant on the Birmingham Local authority and its funding. We will take steps to diversify our income streams, become financially resilient, and increasingly self-sufficient.
These steps will include a reviewed approach to grants and trusts, corporate partners and fundraisers, and in-house community fundraising projects like our brand-new charity shop.
Pictured: The shop front of the Gilgal Charity Shop, which creates a new income stream for us.