Barnabus Manchester
Barnabus is a Christian charity in Manchester that helps homeless and vulnerable people through its drop-in centre. It has a small team and about 70 volunteers.
The charity started in 1991 when founder Peter Green walked the streets with sandwiches and a thermos, giving food to people in need. The Beacon Drop-In Centre opened in 2000 on Bloom Street in Manchester city centre.
Boxer Ricky Hatton became a patron in 2013. In 2014, Manchester nightclub Sankeys donated unclaimed items from its cloakroom to Barnabus.
The Beacon Drop-In Centre is open five days and five evenings. It provides food, clean clothing, blankets, hot showers and dignity/toiletry packs for the homeless. The centre gets about 600 visits a week. Visitors can take English, maths and IT classes, as well as arts and crafts and other social and community activities. Basic first aid is offered two evenings a week by volunteer nurses and paramedics.
In 2005, Barnabus and Manchester City Mission started Street Soccer, giving homeless men a chance to take part in football activities. Street Soccer now runs in five boroughs and works with about 50 men of all ages.
In 2005 Barnabus received Queen Elizabeth II’s “Unsung Heroes” award for Voluntary Service.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:24 (CET).