The Rural Coffee Caravan team and trustees are immensely proud of our chief exec, Ann Osborn, for being awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Suffolk!
Kindness across the county
Appointed by RCC founder Canon Rev Sally Fogden and the original founding team in 2004, Ann became the Coffee Caravan’s first full time Project Manager and has been integral in growing the project from 1 caravan making 20 visits per year, into a charity which delivers over 400 visits* across 67 different village/town locations in Suffolk, now from 4 vehicles, along with a handful of other initiatives creatively addressing loneliness and rural isolation across the county and beyond.
Joining the dots
Ann works tirelessly (we’ve yet to find her ‘off’ switch’), to ‘join the dots’ – fostering connections between Suffolk communities, support organisations and local businesses, constantly building on the charity’s core premise that ‘loneliness is everyone’s business’ and that kindness and connection are key to empowering communities and lifting people out of loneliness.
Additionally, Ann established the 500 Suffolk Reasons group, working with 4 friends in an ongoing fundraising venture that offers hardship support to people in Suffolk. Support which cuts through red tape to offer a little kindness each week to people struggling and not being able to find help via other channels.
The team and a dream
In her typical self effacing manner – Ann’s a bit surprised and baffled at receiving the doctorate for something that is part of her everyday fabric – to her, kindness is simple, logical – and she accepts it on behalf of The Rural Coffee Caravan, proud of what the entire team has achieved.
Not having the chance to attend university in her youth, receiving the honorary doctorate helps to also fulfil this lifelong dream for her.
Congratulations – and very well deserved, Ann!
(*404 visits made in 2022)
