Although we are keen to welcome as many people as possible to the Lyn’s House community -in whatever way/capacity- the process for all who are interested (as friends, residents, volunteers &/or supporters) is one of mutual discernment about the fit in relation to the needs and capacity of the wider community and what’s going on at any given point in time.
Become a Friend
Each week, the residents and volunteers of Lyn’s House welcome in our Friends to share a meal, pray, chat, sing and relax together. Our Friends are people with a range of learning difficulties, for whom these meals are a real highlight of their week. Some of our Friends have enjoyed being with us since the foundation of Lyn’s House in the summer of 2013, whilst others have been much more recent Friends.
The way of sharing hospitality and friendship in Lyn’s House is within groups and this means that sadly it is sometimes not a good fit for people who need more individual space and attention (often those on the autistic spectrum).
If the idea of sharing a meal with people you have not met before sounds a little daunting, fear not! In addition to the weekday meals, we hold a monthly tea party, to which the whole Lyn’s House community of Friends, Volunteers, Residents, Trustees and Supporters are warmly welcomed. This is a great chance to find out a bit more about who we are and what we do, whilst sharing in delicious cakes and drinks. A range of crafts, games and other activities are available to participate in.If you, or someone you know, are interested in joining us as a Friend, coming along to a tea party is likely to be the first step. Check out our News page for details of the next tea party or get in touch with us via email (lynshouse.cam@gmail.com) to find out more.
“I love the kitchen because it is welcoming…I love bringing things and I’ve learned to cook. I like being in the prayer room together, too. I have a sense of God’s peace and presence there. You guys mean a lot to me.” (Friend)
“It’s somewhere she hasn’t got carers and she hasn’t got us: she can just be Lizzie. Everywhere else – even at home with us – there are certain rules, expectations or contractual obligations. At Lyn’s House she’s free: she just goes in and treats it as if it were her home. It’s hard to say how much it means to her because it means so much. I honestly can’t think of anywhere else she’d rather go or be: except, perhaps, her sister’s or brother’s. It’s very, very important to her. And part of it is because it’s a place where she can be at home in faith.” (Parent of a Friend)
Become a Volunteer
Our volunteers are a vital element of the success of Lyn’s House. They join with us for weekday evenings, helping to prepare meals, getting alongside our Friends. This is a hugely rewarding role and has left an indelible impression on so many of our volunteers past and present. To find out more, please contact us by email (lynshouse.cam@gmail.com) or come along to our next tea party.
“I don’t think I would have survived the constant pressures of study and college without my times at Lyn’s House. Even at the end of a long day, when it’s sometimes felt like the last thing I wanted to do, I always came away feeling refreshed and strangely transformed.” (Volunteer member)
“Lyn’s House has become a kind of second home for me – not because I’ve ever lived there, but because of how the community accepts all of its members as we are. Like a home, Lyn’s House is a place where it is safe for me to be exhausted or frustrated or down, as long as I live in the present and keep on trying. Like a home, Lyn’s House has been a constant in my life despite Cambridge’s constant churn of terms, students, fieldwork, holidays, and visitors. Like a home, the Lyn’s House family cares less about what I am and more about who I am.” (Volunteer member)
Become a Resident
Are you a student, recent graduate or a young adult looking for a place to live?
Live in Cambridge as part of a small Christian community and share in a ministry of friendship centred on adults with learning disabilities.
You will be part of a small praying Christian community sharing in the ministry of Lyn’s House with learning disabled people, supported by volunteers and trustees in the wider Lyn’s House community.
Places are available from summer 2021 onward in The Lodge. This is a comfortable, shared house in extensive grounds on Grange Road, a quiet street close to the city centre.
Please get in touch for more information and an application form.
“ I can honestly say my /me living in Lyn’s House has been one of the most important things I’ve ever done in my life… It’s made me more of who I am.”
– House Resident
Become a Supporter
In just 7 years, the network of people connected to Lyn’s House has extended across Cambridge, the UK and even abroad in places as far afield as Germany, Singapore and the USA. We have a strong network of supporters involved in churches, community organisations and schools too. We keep in touch with our supporters by sending periodical news updates via email, inviting them to tea parties and other events. We also greatly value the prayers of our Supporters in sustaining our small charity and the work we do. If you would like to be included in the email distribution list please contact us by email (lynshouse.cam@gmail.com).
Become a Donor
Lyn’s House is very grateful for donations to help fund the running costs of the meals, tea parties and taxi expenses for our friends. We are a small charity to whom a small donation makes a really big difference. We also have some larger funding needs to which large donations would be hugely appreciated. Please click on Donate Now if you would like to either make a regular monthly donation, or a one-off donation. If you are interested in leaving a legacy in your will then please contact us by email (lynshouse.cam@gmail.com).
Lyn’s House is the working name for the Cambridge Friendship Trust, a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales with registration number 1187876. The registered office is: The Lodge, 12-14 Grange Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DE.
lynshouse.org 