Throughout the 1990s, the team sold donated clothes and bric-a-brac, eventually raising enough to set up a community house, followed by our furniture superstore in Chequers Road, Gloucester.

We now have four shops which fund and provide meaingful work opportunities to 26 people, called companions.

Nailsworth continues to be successful and still has a high number of committed and long-serving volunteers. Chequers Road is the hub of our operations. Two further shops have been added – one in Stroud and another in Nailsworth.

Our charity shops and customers are serviced by four vans collecting and delivering goods six days of the week.

 

The history of Emmaus

The history of Emmaus

The first Emmaus community was founded in Paris, in 1949, by Father Henri-Antoine Grouès, better known as Abbé Pierre. He was an MP, Catholic priest and former member of the French Resistance who fought to provide homes for those who lived on the streets of Paris.

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Emmaus in the UK

Emmaus in the UK

Emmaus had been established in France for 40 years before it came to the UK in the early 1990s, all thanks to a chance encounter at a Cambridge soup kitchen.

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Emmaus in the world

Emmaus in the world

Emmaus is part of an international movement made up of 350 groups in 37 countries, governed by Emmaus International, which was set up in 1971.

Emmaus International has five priority areas:

  1. Migrants’ rights
  2. Access to water
  3. Ethical finance
  4. Access to healthcare
  5. Access to education
Emmaus International