Shropshire Star

New broom sweeps in at Shrewsbury Ark

The new man in charge of Shrewsbury's homeless shelter has swept in and has given the place a thorough going over.

Published
David Doonan

Gone are the dark rooms, outdated showers and cluttered storerooms at The Ark in Castle Foregate.

In their place are fresh paint, organised shelving housing donations of food, bedding and clothing, and a new wetroom.

Dave Doonan is no stranger to getting things shipshape. A 16-year career in the RAF was followed by spells as a financial consultant before he finally ran the charity Sharp, which worked with families of serving prisoners.

And he is keen to use talents learned throughout his career to streamline and reorganise The Ark.

He said: "I hope to bring new life and new enthusiasm to The Ark. There is so much goodwill and compassion for what we do here, that I would like to build on that.

"I want there to be a clean and calm environment here for people. This will encourage good behaviour and hopefully the newly redecorated rooms and general air of organisation will bring a two-way respect. People will respect what we have done for them and want to be treated with respect in return."

David Doonan

Dave and his band of volunteers have worked tirelessly to refurbish the building and are planning to reopen in two weeks time.

The Ark has long offered help and support to the vulnerable and needy of the Shrewsbury community. There is a strict no alcohol or drug policy and in return people can get a hot meal, a cup of coffee, wash their clothes and have a warm shower.

The previous manager, Tim Compton left earlier this spring and now Dave wants to build on his hard work.

"I am streamlining the building," added Dave.

"We have been clearing rooms, sorting out the cellar and generally having a great big tidy up. Not only have the rooms been tidied, we have also been sorting out all the filing and setting up new ways to organise the supplies we have donated. We are not just giving everything a paint, but overall we will become more effective in the future."

A quiet area, away from the hubbub of the main areas has been created, giving people somewhere quiet to go and have a chat. The TV may be removed from the front room too.

"People liked to watch the boxing, which did not always lead to a calm environment so if we do have a TV again, it will be monitored and I will have a say in what they watch," said Dave.

The garden area will also get an overhaul with new decking and a covered area where rucksacks can be stored out of the way. The net curtains in the front window have also been removed.

"It's all about public perception," said Dave. "We want members of the public who are walking past to be able to look in and see what is going on, from people sitting around drinking coffee to maybe someone having a game of cards or Scrabble. I want for us to build on the love and support that we already have in Shrewsbury."