10 Years of GAiN

(2019-2020)

In 2025 we are celebrating ten years of GAiN UK!

We want to take you on the journey of GAiN over the last decade, sharing stories and highlights from each year. We continue this month by featuring our 5th and 6th years in operation.

You can find all the posts in this series on our “News” page.

2019

In our 5th year, we continued to focus our relief efforts on the refugee camps in Greece, partnering with EuroRelief in Camp Moria, Lesvos. We love seeing teams of people coming together to serve other communities and during 2019 we sent two teams to Lesvos.

I joined a team of 9 students and 2 other Agapé UK staff on a trip to Lesvos, Greece to assist at a refugee camp. Volunteering in a refugee camp was a experience unlike anything I had experienced before. The camp resembled a small village with people from many different cultures all living together. My team and I did a variety of tasks from guarding gates to cleaning to moving beds. The work was challenging, but the people living in the camp were often happy to lend a hand! They were very kind and smiled often. Myself and several others were invited for tea by an elderly woman who did not speak any English. Despite the language barrier, we were blessed by her desire to serve us!

Caleb Davis

GAiN Participant

2020

In 2020, as the whole world went into Covid lockdown, we too saw big changes within our staff team and our ways of working. Our founder and GAiN UK director, Sarah, prepared to go on maternity leave and handed over directorship to Frikkie Greyling. We saw Caitlin, Heidi, Ellie, and Arman join the team, giving a huge boost to our capacity. With remote working becoming necessary, the team grew to span the UK, rather than everyone working on-site in Birmingham.

As restrictions eased over the year, we were able to hold some outdoor nappy collections in Birmingham. Communities gathered together and packed over 1 tonne of nappies along with tents and clothing for our partner EuroRelief in Greece.

What started as a nappy collection with my local network in Belfast soon evolved into exploring how my abilities could love and serve people across both the UK and the world through working with GAiN UK. As I celebrate 5 years on staff, I’m so thankful for all of the ways my life has been impacted as we Reveal Hope and Restore Life together.

Caitlin Lyttle

GAiN staff

2025 Update: Moved to a NEW Involvement Centre

Since moving into our Involvement Centre on Mott Street, Birmingham in early 2023, we’ve been so grateful for this space. We always knew that it would be a temporary home for us as the site is due to be developed and so the time came recently to move! The logistics team have done an incredible job of quickly organising and executing this transition, with a lot of back and forth driving and heavy lifting. We are now settled into our new home and already have had corporate groups and individuals packing with us. We’re so excited to see how we will continue to love and serve people well in this season

As you hopefully know we’re all about partnership, and the timing and opportunities we’ve seen during this move have been so encouraging as we share location with Feed The Hungry, at: The Halo Centre, Progress Way, Coventry, CV3 2NT

This heart for partnership and collaboration allows us to keep our main focus as just that, to Reveal Hope and Restore Life to those facing poverty and crisis situations. We know that every item of aid and every number reported represents real people experiencing compassion on their worst days. You are part of that and we are so grateful for you!

10 Years of GAiN (2019-2020)