SUPPORT, DIGNITY AND COMMUNITY
IN NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE
For over 30 years, CARE - Christian Action & Resource Enterprise - has worked in the heart of Grimsby and Cleethorpes to support individuals and families through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Our mission is to reach out with love and care to those most in need in the top 1% most deprived areas of the UK. Unemployment, domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, homelessness, and crime are high, and many local people feel abandoned with nowhere to turn. Often, they are referred to us when no other organisation can help.
We are finding that their needs are greater than ever before, with people requiring intensive support, kindness and relationship to overcome the trauma of their past and rebuild their lives.
CARE runs various projects including an innovative housing programme, crisis drop-in, long-term intensive support, food pantry, and a furniture recycling project. Our Crisis Support Team gives holistic, practical support, as well as finding housing. We help people struggling with the most complex needs, including poverty, homelessness, debt, disability, illness, domestic abuse, isolation amongst older people, victims of crime, and those in mental health crisis. Many of our staff and volunteers have lived experience of crisis and homelessness, which helps build relationships and trust.
"I couldn't have done it without CARE. I didn't even know where to begin. CARE gave me strength when I had none left. Now my daughter and I can move forward without fear."
From the beginning, our values of love, dignity and compassion for our community have shaped the way we work.
We welcome everyone with care, kindness and respect, and without judgement, going above and beyond to help improve people’s lives. David Robinson founded CARE because he believed faith means love in action - welcoming everyone, showing compassion, going the extra mile, and believing every person is made in the image of God and worthy of dignity and care.
At the time, a lot of people in Grimsby were struggling with poverty, debt and housing insecurity, but many didn't feel comfortable asking traditional institutions for help. The first CARE shop opened on the seafront in Cleethorpes with a promise that people would be treated with respect and given good quality items to improve their lives. The shop provided beds, cookers, furniture and household goods so people could rebuild their lives without falling deeper into debt.
The CARE Shop remains a corner stone of the local community today, with seven flats above the shop providing supported housing.
Honouring that original sense of responsibility and commitment to care for the local community, CARE opened a beautiful new community space - The CARE Hub - in Grimsby town centre in January 2026. This is a calm, warm, and welcoming space where anyone can walk in, sit down, and have a free cup of tea in the public living room adorned with the patterns and colours of William Morris.
Our Crisis Support Team there also provides housing advice and crisis support for those who need it, either on a drop-in basis or by booking an appointment. In this first phase of renovation, the ground floor interior of the once derelict building has been designed around warmth, connection and support by award-winning designer Scott Maddux, with luxury furnishing donations from Morris & Co.
Visitors have described the space as feeling like “a 5-star boutique hotel” and “a stately home”. Open to everyone, The CARE Hub is fast becoming a sanctuary for the local community. Here beauty is not an indulgence, but a tool for safety, trust and human connection. An environment that signals security, worth, and joy - allowing for the restoration of our many visitors. The space tells people they are worth it before even a word has been spoken.
"We intentionally set out to create something different from the usual institutional feel of community centres. We believe people deserve beauty and dignity, especially when life is hard. The CARE Hub tells people they matter from the moment they walk through the door."
- Anne Bickerstaffe, CEO of CARE
We were honoured and deeply grateful that His Majesty The King chose to visit The CARE Hub on 11 June 2026, as part of a visit to Grimsby to meet the people working together to build a stronger future for the town. It was a privilege to introduce The King to some of the people from our local community who are rebuilding their lives with our support. Many enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk personally with The King.
One young man, who walked into the Hub off the street on the day we opened, shared his story with The King one-to-one alongside our Director Of Services, Vicky Parker. Liam was sofa surfing after a relationship breakdown. He felt depressed, lacked confidence, stability and was running out of options. He was very worried about being homeless, and how that would affect the joint custody of his two-year-old son. From that first conversation, we worked alongside him, step by step, building trust and making progress. We helped Liam to write a housing application that same day and arranged a housing interview the next day. Within three weeks, we were able to provide Liam and his son with a flat of their own - a safe, stable place to call home, where they could begin to rebuild, rest, and feel secure. Since we first met Liam in January, the changes in his life have been wonderful to see. Through ongoing support from CARE and Liam’s hard work and determination to create a better future for his family, he has also started a part-time job and volunteers in our charity shop. Today, they are in a place that once felt impossible – not just housed but supported and feeling hopeful.
There’s an increasing feeling of belonging and family at the Hub, as we continue to build strong relationships across the whole community. To receive a visit from His Majesty The King was such an honour and a moment of great pride for us all and will be remembered by our community for years to come.
“At CARE, I feel that I matter, because someone has my back and I am not alone. I feel supported and cared for, and wanted and happy. It feels like a family. To be honest, CARE has changed my life.”
- Liam Atkinson