Page 173 - ASMF Marriner 100 Coverage Book

evening concert; an ambulance sirening its way through queues of traffic; political

demonstrations vying with buskers in front of the National Gallery; a party of
schoolchildren chattering excitedly as they are shepherded across busy roads.
Almost certainly you will see a homeless person hunched against a wall, collecting
cup by their side.

In addition to normal services and a rich cultural programme that includes
performances by the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields chamber orchestra (ASMF)
and many other individuals and ensembles, the church has a particular mission to
the homeless, inspired by its patron saint, Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier turned
bishop who is remembered for giving his cloak to a beggar. Dick Sheppard, Vicar of St
Martin’s during World War One, offered what he called ‘an ever-open door’ to soldiers

on their way to France, and a Social Service Unit founded in 1948 grew into The
Connection at St Martin’s, which cares for around 7,500 individuals who are
experiencing homelessness each year.