Anna Iliffe appointed as new Operations Manager at The Bridge

The Bridge Homelessness to Hope has appointed Anna Iliffe as its new Operations Manager. Anna starts the position after working at the charity in both volunteer and staff roles over the last two years. She will be responsible for line managing the 13 staff, managing the hub and food service at Melton Street in the city, and the charity’s four houses for accommodating guests.

Anna started volunteering at The Bridge Homelessness to Hope on a weeknight, then on a Saturday, before becoming a hub worker on the staff for one year. Prior to joining the charity, Anna was a teacher for 14 years including special needs education, followed by supply teaching and volunteering/humanitarian work abroad, in places such as a Dunkirk refugee camp.

Operations Manager, Anna Iliffe

The Bridge has leased four properties in Leicester to provide accommodation for up to 17 guests who are experiencing homelessness, offering a new accommodation option for service users of the charity.

New figures for 2025 show that the Hub services were accessed 19,050 times across the year - an increase of 83% since 2022. 84 people were successfully housed in temporary or permanent accommodation, and 367 guests have seen an improvement to their income since 2020.

“I’m delighted to start this new role. Through my previous volunteering and staff work, I know most of the guests, have trusting and good relationships with them, with our staff and with other volunteers. This connection with our guests is really important.

I’ll be supporting our tenants and maintaining the houses, building on the existing foundations and fine tuning the support model. This is a service that is already developing and as we look to expand it, we’ll be establishing a best practice model that others can hopefully adopt.”

Anna Iliffe, Operations Manager.

It’s great to welcome Anna into this new position. Given her experience with The Bridge in both volunteering and staff capacities, her appointment will offer a smooth transition with our staff, guests and volunteers.”

David Fawcett, Chief Executive at The Bridge Homelessness to Hope.