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Where we
came from

1985

Links was established in 1985 by Norman and Grace Barnes as a way of helping the world’s poor help themselves out of poverty. It was originally based at Oasis House, Chadwell Heath, Essex.

1986

From the outset, Norman and Grace’s dream was that Links would inspire people into the adventure of ‘hearing the cry of the poor and providing a 'hand up, not hand out’. This ethos still underlines all of our work. The ripple effect of change that we see proves that this kind of change is sustainable

2003

In 2003, the Links Head Office moved from Chadwell Heath to its current location in Rustington, Littlehampton. Around the same time, Links USA was established to help extend the work of Links International. The Links USA office is now based in Houston, Texas and is headed up by Jason and Holly Bollinger.

2006

In 2006, Rich Hubbard became a Co-Director with Norman, having been involved with Links since 1998.

2007

Rich became CEO with Norman as a Co-Director. Norman officially retired from Links in 2008.

2008

Links South Africa, under the leadership of Mike and Beryl Godward, and Links Canada were established to serve these regions for a limited season. Both offices ceased to operate in 2010

2009

With Rich at the helm, Links continued to grow and the work was streamlined into five main areas: 1. Church partnerships 2. Micro-Enterprise Development 3. Community Healthcare 4. Kingdom Resources 5. Creative Income-Generating Projects. Sadly Rich passed away after a battle with cancer on 25th August 2010.

2010

At this point Andy Read stepped into the role of CEO. Previously, Andy had edited the Links magazine for 15 years. Throughout Andy's leadership Links continued to both grow 'up' in influence and development, but also 'down' as Andy put strong root systems in place for the future growth of Links.

2017

Andy retired from his role as CEO, handing over the reins to Joe Gisbey. Joe had been involved with Links since 2004, working closely with Rich and overseeing the area of community projects and micro-enterprise development.

2018

Joe would go on to condense the focus of Links’ vision to "connect people, confront poverty and create potential", with the main areas of work being: • Faith • Business • Healthcare • Education • Justice

2019

A regional presence was established in Africa to better support our partners on the continent. This is led by Sam Walker and in 2021, we formalised Links Africa, based in Lilongwe the capital city of Malawi. Plans are now underway for Links Latin America and in due course, we plan to also have an Asian Office.

2022

Values

With so many charities and movements around the world you may be wondering why you should connect with us? What is so different about Links?

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Vision

We are passionate about joining together to confront poverty, creating potential and connecting with amazing heroes all around the world!

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Mission

In Links we believe that genuine transformation is possible. We offer solutions to the issues that our partners around the world face.

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Our Impact

Over the years we have seen numerous examples of modern day versions of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes!

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Our Team

Find out about the people behind Links Charity!

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