L’Arche Ipswich

Our first house, The Cornerstone, opened in 2006 and is situated in a pleasant and quiet area of Ipswich near Christchurch Park about 10 minutes’ walk to the centre of town. The house has spacious common areas and a large garden. There are six people with learning disabilities and six assistants living together here, with others supporting in various roles. We are creating a network of community houses in Ipswich to provide a range of facilities for people in various circumstances wishing to be a part of who we are and what we do. L’Arche is a place of encounter and the core members, as we describe them (descriptions are always a problem, though)make this happen by the challenge they represent and by their compassion and openness. Living together calls us all to change and we can only live the community well if we are open to that call and the friendships that go along with it. We eat and pray together; we celebrate both the day-to-day and special events, whether personal or religious. Celebrating includes saying thankyou to each other for the gifts and talents which we bring to the community. We aim to create an atmosphere where people’s faith and religious traditions are respected, supported and nurtured. We believe that through offering this, people’s needs and wishes are met in a more holistic way which contributes to the wellbeing of the community and all its members. We are part of a national charity, L’Arche U.K. with a local board of committee members. Because of L’Arche’s international federation of about 140 communities in 35 countries, some of us have visited France, the USA and India, as well as such events as the Greenbelt Festival, walking pilgrimages within the UK. We share a number of structured events with other L’Arche communities in the U.K.