One volunteer’s story of the founding of Aberdeen Cyrenians
My first memory of what was to become the Aberdeen Cyrenians was a packed meeting in the University Chaplaincy on Union St. It must have been early in 1968. There was talk of “homelessness” and “rough sleepers” and that the first step was an “all night” survey to see how many people needed help.
Sometime in either April or May 1969 the all night survey took place. My memory is that we were divided into several teams of 3 or 4 people and that at least 30 students took part. We wondered round the deserted areas of Aberdeen, including the beach shelters and parks. Sandy Murray already had a prominent role and was the one who liaised with the police and social work department.
The survey did not reveal many rough sleepers and the feeling was that perhaps we were too many people and had disturbed them. Sandy, working with the police, made contact with several people including Jockie and Tommy and these contacts were important for gaining trust and credibility.
The Aberdeen Cyrenians were part of a wider movement, led by Father Anthony Ross in Edinburgh. There was always a ”vision” that this was a start, and that the Cyrenians would grow with plans to build from soup run to shelter and then onto more supportive accommodation. The philosophy of justice, equality and love, especially love underpinned it. The overall conviction was that this was a social problem which could, and would, be solved with love and commitment.
The soup run started in the autumn term, with each evening having its own rota of student volunteers. My evening was Friday and we were a small team of members of the Catholic Society, other evenings were run by different denominational groups, but soon all this changed and groups formed according to which evening worked for them. A core of people strongly identified with the Cyrenians and we were supported by a committee. I remember especially Frances Kydd, Ann Macgillivrary, Alusia, Ann Lunn, Marta V, Ken McKay, Dave Menzies, Dave Kerr and Dave Stuart, and Norma.
The logistics of the soup run are a bit hazy now and I cannot remember how it all worked. We had a base to make the soup and were given “bones and some meat” from local butchers as well as vegetables form local traders. Bread was important and this also came from traders, at the end of each day. We had very little finances, but inspired by our ethos we did not worry about this. The simple belief that what we were doing needed to be done, and that it was right, sustained us and gave is hope and a sense of purpose.
The venue for the soup run was the Castlegate Market, and word spread quickly, so the number of people coming grew. The soup run attracted attention both from the Police, we were given one Sergeant to be our contact, and from the social work department. Richard Lingard, then deputy director of the social work took a particular interest. One night, Richard visited the soup run, in disguise, to see what was happening.
The Soup Run varied, on cold wet nights the people came and took the nourishment and left quickly, on warm evenings someone would play the spoons or an accordion and a community would briefly form. But whatever the weather, we were all aware that the night and days for the people who came, were to be spent on the streets or “on the move”. The Cyrenians was always challenging, presenting us with both the best of times and the worst.
One strong memory I had of that winter was going with Sandy Murray to visit Jockie, who with Tommy and Renee lived in a basement of a dilapidated tenement of Castlegate. We went down dark steps to find them huddled at the bottom. It was a freezing night and ice lined the walls and windows.
The following summer, the soup run transferred to a former chip shop and the next phase began.
I left Aberdeen on 1971. I was involved again during the next two years when we lived in Edinburgh, but a growing family limited my involvement. Although most of the details have become a blur, I have never forgotten the people who worked together so effectively and the values we shared have influenced me, I hope, all my life. I trained and worked as a psychiatric social worker and though working with many dedicated professionals, I never again experienced that idealistic but harrowing, exhausting but joyful experience that being a Cyrenian gave to us all.
