500 together

We are pleased to be back with news of donation  206 This latest donation of £500 has gone to help a young woman who has just received her refugee status. This always sounds like a really exciting time but actually it is really hard - being evicted from your accommodation, having to fill in zillions of forms, starting to go to the job centre, applying for universal credit - there's a lot of stressful things to do!  She is particularly young and arrived on her own following traumatic events in her home country. Her mental health has been suffering but she is now doing quite well and wants to attend English classes. She has signed up at Sheffield College and started attending  - but they have run out of money for bus fares that they usually provide for students. So she has stopped going and says she is getting ill again as she is staying home so much.  She's being temporarily housed in a hostel - which isn't always a nice or safe place to be - so no...

  One of our members told us about B, a little girl who was diagnosed two years ago with Leukaemia, aged just 1. She has undergone intensive treatment for the leukaemia including chemotherapy.  During the course of this treatment, she also had to have an emergency tracheostomy which meant that she lost the ability to speak.   Her parents have had to spend weeks in hospital to be fully trained in caring for her and her tracheostomy. She has spent the majority of her life in and out of hospital. Her mum has had to leave work to become a full time carer and relies heavily on family support.  It is so tough for them all. Our member told us that their friends, who have been supporting them throughout, were secretly raising money to try to send the family to Lapland UK for a uniquely special experience.  They needed some help to reach their target so we sent them £500 and they were recently able to surprise the family with the tickets.  It was...

With this latest donation we have helped buy beds for a family, who had to flee their home in Afghanistan, with their children aged 9, 7 & 1,  and come to the UK, having worked with the British armed forces. They have been granted  permission to live and work in England and were recently given a permanent place in a rented, unfurnished housing association house.  They have been supported by Tracy, who operated  'The garage free stall for refugees and people in need ' - an extraordinary initiative set up by Tracy when a local hotel in her area of Sheffield was housing refugees.  Tracy asked for donations of clothing, toys and other useful items and opened her garage every week to the refugees - and others in her community who might be in need.  We supported them 2 years ago, when we bought some shoes and underwear for the refugees.  The hotel is now no longer used for refugees, so the garage stall no longer operates on a regular...

  One of our members asked if we could help a mum of four children (two teens and two under the age of six years).    She has been through a lot, including leaving an abusive partner.   Right now she is struggling to make ends meet.  She is being supported in budgeting and debt management, and while she is making progress, her financial situation remains extremely tight.    One of the biggest challenges she currently faces is her youngest child’s sleeping arrangement.  At 3.5 years old, he is still sleeping in a travel cot in his mother’s room.  This makes daily life even more difficult.   Ideally, mum would like him to have his own space, and for her two daughters to share a room instead. She would love him to have a more appropriately sized bed, but just cannot afford it. We were pleased to help and have sent £500 - enough for the bed and mattress, with a little extra for the family.   We have already heard what a difference ...