Hastings and Roher homeless charity trustee honoured at Buckingham Palace garden party

Emmaus Hastings & Rother trustee David Cooper attended a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on May 11, as a representative of homelessness charity Emmaus UK.
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Three garden parties are given at Buckingham Palace each year to acknowledge the positive contributions the guests have made to their communities. David has been a supporter of Emmaus UK for over a decade, serving not only on the Emmaus Hastings and Rother board but also the board of trustees for Emmaus UK.
David attended the Buckingham Palace garden party with his wife Krysia. The parties have been cancelled for the last two years due to Covid-19. It was announced earlier this year that they would return this summer, although sadly Her Majesty the Queen, was not in attendance.
Unfortunately, the party was marred by the first significant rain in London for many weeks but the royal family and their guests took this in their stride, with hundreds of umbrellas on display.
David said: “It was an honour to represent Emmaus at the event. I am very proud to be a part of the international Emmaus movement, and look forward to many more years of supporting Emmaus in the UK.”
David moved from London to East Sussex in the late 1970s when he was offered a job as an engineer at Dungeness nuclear power station.
In 2009 David became involved with Emmaus Hastings and Rother through a friend who was helping to launch the charity. He recognised the local need for an organisation that offers support and work as well as a home to people experiencing homelessness.
He helped with fitting out the charity’s shop and warehouse, then led the effort to raise the funds to build the new accommodation block for companions, and has been an important part of the community ever since, serving for the last 10 years as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Emmaus Hastings and Rother provides a home and meaningful work experience for up to 23 people who have experienced homelessness. Companions – the name for the people who live and work at Emmaus Hastings and Rother – have a home for as long as they need it, which gives them the opportunity to gain stability in their lives and find a way to move on from homelessness.​​​​

Zach Hurst, the Community Leader at Emmaus Hastings & Rother said: “It’s fantastic that David was invited to attend such a wonderful event. He is a huge asset to our community, and to Emmaus UK as a whole and we’re delighted his dedication is being recognised.”

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