Vennture Legacy
A legacy of love in action
Driven by their faith and a desire to serve the people of Hereford, our founders John and Emelia Venn worked for almost 50 years pioneering new ways to improve the lives of people in their community. Their initiatives transformed the lives of struggling families in 19th century Hereford.
Hereford City Mission was established 1856 with a simple purpose of improving people’s lives by providing employment, support and advice. The Venns built a corn mill, opened a soup kitchen and acquired garden allotments to enable people to grow their own food. They opened a sick person’s dispensary and public baths, pioneered building houses with gardens, and invested in earth toilets to improve sanitation. In addition, John and Emelia built a school and a large children’s home.
Vennture today
In 2013, Hereford City Mission was born again as Vennture. We’re here to continue the vision the Venns held of finding smart ways to meet the needs of our community, supporting people in difficulty to make a fresh start. Our work relies on a diverse team of dedicated volunteers who all share a passion for making lasting change in people’s lives.
Vennture Legacy
We’re here for people in need. Together with our supporters we spot and find smart ways to meet the needs of our community, supporting people in difficulty to make a fresh start.
We want to love people better.
We give our time and expertise to make lasting change in people’s lives. You’ll find us looking after people on the streets of Hereford, working with families and individuals across the country and running caring housing hubs.
We join up community, businesses, organisations and agencies to better look after Herefordshire’s people.
We build up trust with, and listen to, individuals and families so they can set out the changes they want to make to improve their lives and even make a fresh start.
We take a Christian approach, treating everyone with respect whatever their background or circumstance.