Elaine Chalmers-Brown has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the King’s Birthday Honours List, published on Saturday 13 June, 2026.
Elaine will receive the award as organiser and creator of the Berkshire-based charity Pilgrims Hearts, for services to the homeless in Bracknell Forest. Recipients of honours will be invited to an investiture to receive their awards.
Elaine, who currently chairs the Homeless Forum for Bracknell, has lived in Bracknell Forest for 30 years. She and her husband David Chalmers-Brown established Pilgrim Hearts on 1 April, 2000. At the time, the couple were already organising workshops for homeless people across the county but were surprised by how many people they met in neighbouring towns who were from Bracknell, suggesting there was a need for help more locally.
Pilgrim Hearts now offers a drop in and advice centre for homeless people at two locations in the town, providing hot food, access to a medical professional, drugs and alcohol support, housing advice, even a haircut and footcare, services that may not be easily accessible otherwise. Most importantly, it brings together those who can help at the one location.
The drops-ins take place between 11am and 2pm, on Tuesdays at St Andrew’s Church in Priestwood, and on Thursdays at Bracknell Methodist Church in Shepherds Lane.
More than 25 years ago there were people out there offering support, explained Elaine, but services were disjointed and many offering help were unaware of what others were doing, she felt. That was the incentive for setting up Pilgrim Hearts.
“Pilgrim Hearts is just a small charity, but because of that we are able to change direction and respond to changing needs quite quickly. We work closely with the council and with the Rough Sleepers Teams in Bracknell and Wokingham, and we couldn’t do what we do without volunteers, the support of individuals, churches and businesses,” said Elaine. “We participate in a fortnightly core meeting of other relevant agencies.”
The role of Pilgrim Hearts has therefore continued to change over the years. When the charity was involved in providing a night shelter, as many as 250 volunteers would be involved in different ways. Now the charity relies on the support of a dozen or so volunteers for these drop-ins and the professionals who provide the services. Demand for the drop in can vary, with up to 20 people at times attending on any one day and raising awareness of the services remains important.
“Communication is far better now and agencies much better connected. But there is still the need to help and homelessness may increase. People who are sofa surfing may not appear in the statistics as homeless, but need these services,” she added. “Our purpose is to give people a much-needed hand up, not hand-outs, supporting people to help themselves, just to get going again. Getting this individual award is a real surprise, but what we do is work together to help the individual. David’s support is still very much needed.”
Contact:
Elaine Chalmers-Brown mobile telephone: 07977 101606
Pilgrim Hearts Freephone from mobiles: 0800 121 4021
Details of Pilgrim Hearts can also be found on Facebook and at www.pilgrimhearts.org.uk