Honorary graduates January 2018 Patrick Harris
Dedicated outreach worker Patrick Harris, whose work with homeless charity The Bridge stands as an exemplar of its good work,
Patrick Harris was born in Leicester and grew up in Highfields along with five siblings. In 1999 he found himself to be homeless for almost half a year and during that time, he attended a hostel where he met a manager of Christian faith who inspired him to join an Alpha course. He began to explore Christianity in more detail.
In 2010, divine intervention encouraged Patrick to walk into the Methodist Church on Bishop Street where the homeless charity, The Bridge, was based. Patrick engaged with the homeless people visiting the charity and became a regular volunteer. He is now Team Leader and Outreach Worker for The Bridge, a role which involves visiting the homeless people across the city from 3.30am onwards and informing them about services they can access through the charity including, breakfast provision, medical help and accommodation support.
Patrick Harris said: “I’ve never had anything like this before and it came as quite a shock, to be honest.
“I feel very honoured that people appreciate the work that I’m doing.
“I would like to thank my Board, the local organisations and everybody that has supported me and continues to fund the great work that we do. I would especially like to thank my wife Barbara, who has supported me throughout.”
Watch the oration for Patrick Harris and his response online:
Watch the full degree congregation at 3pm, Friday 26 January: