500 together

One of our members told us about B, who has an extensive history of childhood trauma which has flowed into their adult life. They are currently working with mental health services, adult social care & receiving support for alcohol and drug addiction. They have taken a keen interest in boxing and have found some sessions to attend, which they and their support worker feel will be really beneficial in helping recovery and improving their mental health in the long term. We were asked to give £240, which allowed the support worker to help B get the necessary equipment for them to participate in the boxing & gym sessions.

One of our members asked if we could help a young woman, who after a truly dreadful time, has now been offered a flat from the council. It is a familiar situation of an empty house - no carpets, curtains, no furniture or white goods. It is hard to imagine, after so much trauma and suffering, how hard it must be to be faced with a bare and empty house, once your application for housing is finally successful. Our member and others supporting her have helped where they can, but we were pleased to be able to send £500 to allow her to get a few more essentials.  It sounds like she has been incredibly resourceful and has managed to get a second hand washing machine, some curtains and a mattress for a bed she was given. With the remainder she is getting some carpets for the lounge and hopefully the bedroom too.  We send her our very best wishes, knowing how tough things are for her and hope things start to improve as she settles into her new home. Thank you for your continued generosity, whic...

One of our members asked if we could help a family they are supporting, who due to domestic violence had to flee their family home into temporary accommodation. They have just been fortunate in taking on a tenancy for a home where they can build family life back up, mum and 2 children aged 7 and 10. The house does not have any flooring, so we were asked if we could help - all rooms are bare floors at the moment and the family are struggling financially as other furnishings are needed too. We were pleased to send £500 to help the family and wish them well in their new home.

With this donation we have helped Sheffield Food Chain, a wholly volunteer-run small charity, which offers a lifeline to people in communities primarily across south-east Sheffield experiencing food poverty amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Food Chain was founded in the summer of 2023 to fill a gap in support left when another community food project closed down. It became a charity in its own right in November 2023 and is now run by seven trustees and over 30 committed volunteers. Their motto is ‘cook, pedal, serve’ and they make nutritious meals using fresh food that would otherwise go to waste, donated by local wholefood sellers. Every meal is prepared from scratch by volunteers at weekly batch cooking sessions, then packaged and frozen ready to be delivered by volunteer cyclists. They deliver 5-10 frozen meals to each client’s doorstep every week, around 100 meals in total, supporting around 60 local people. To find out more, please do have a look at their website: https://sheffi...

One of our long standing members wrote to us asking if we could help the Sheffield Samaritans. After training to become a listening volunteer, she has also joined the training team and seen first hand how little funding they have, making it hard to invest in equipment they need. Sheffield Samaritans has provided confidential emotional support, by telephone, face-to-face, email and letter since 1965. They provide support 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by volunteers. They enable people in Sheffield and the surrounding area who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those who may be at risk of suicide, to receive confidential telephone, email and face-to-face support at any time of the day or night, in order to improve their mental health and to reduce the incidence of suicide. They promote a better understanding in society of suicide, suicidal behaviour and the value of expressing feelings which may otherwise lead to suicide or impaired emotional ...

One of our members asked if we could help a young family who have had a really tough time for the past few years. We have been asked not to share all the details, but were pleased to be able to help and send a much needed £500. They sent us a lovely message to tell us how they had used the donation, and how much it had helped: We were able to get a full food shop which we were very grateful for! A brand new hoover, and microwave to help us cook quick and easy meals when E can’t cook due to her illness:)) We honestly are so so grateful for the £500, without it we would have really struggled !” As always, we were really happy to help this family out after all they have been through.

One of our members asked if we could help someone their organisation is supporting, who is 10 months into recovery. She has been experiencing stalking and harassment from an ex partner for the past 4 years and she is awaiting a CPS charging decision after being assisted to report the incidents. She had found it hard to go out through fear of coming into contact with her ex partner and had become isolated. Since support commenced in June last year, she has gained confidence and began to alleviate fears of being in a social setting. She has since joined creative writing sessions , become a volunteer and attends a local choir each week. Something that was not even imaginable for her last year. She is building friendships and finally seeing a future for herself. The whole way through support she has worked on self-care/worth and tidying/sorting her flat, which was overly cluttered through hoarding. She is finally at a place where she acknowledges that she deserves to live in an env...

We are pleased to be back with news of donation 253, which has gone to help S replace her tri-ride - an electric wheel, which attaches to a manual wheelchair to facilitate activities outside the home. Her existing tri-ride has broken, and without it, getting out and about is really difficult. They are expensive items to buy, but so vital for independence. We were pleased to be able to send £500 towards the cost.

One of our members asked if we could send £450 to a mum who has escaped domestic abuse with two young children. Due to the housing crisis and overwhelmed services she has not been well looked after during her time of need by some services. The money is to help her pay for an air fryer so she can feed her children in the hotel room she's currently living in (sounds luxurious but it's a far cry from a holiday!) and to pay for extra parking costs that have accrued due to not being able to park at home, as she has a reliance on her car due to her physical disabilities. The future looks difficult for everyone who needs council housing, even with priority the waiting time is about a year and private renting is difficult to access if on benefits. However this money will help her at crisis point and is very much appreciated.

We are pleased to be able to tell you about donation 251, which has seen us give £500 to a wonderful local organisation called Roundabout. https://www.roundabouthomeless.org Roundabout is a Sheffield & Rotherham based youth housing charity committed to ending youth homelessness. They really believe that with a safe place to live and tailored support, a young person can progress to independence and successfully break the cycle of homelessness. The charity began in 1977 and has supported thousands of young people over the years. They now support over 500 young people aged 16-25 every day. No route to homelessness is the same and some young people just need a bit of support at a difficult time, but sadly the majority of young people Roundabout see have experienced an element of childhood trauma. Without intervention, it is this experience that can potentially carve the path that they follow for the rest of their lives. One of our members asked us if we could provide a donation t...

One of our members asked if we could help a victim of domestic abuse who has not had a permanent home for over 18 months, moving between refuge, temporary accommodation, and other placements. She and her young son have finally moved into a permanent home and have been provided with a gas cooker but unfortunately cannot afford the cost of installation. We were asked if we could pay £154 to get this set up for her, so she can start using that after managing with a temporary 2 ring stove for so long.

We have been asked to be sparing with details of this recipient's situation. We are always very happy to respect such requests. The family were in need of bunk beds to allow their children to have their own beds. Bed poverty is such a grim situation and has so many negative consequences on the whole family. We are pleased we were able to send £450 to help the nominator supporting this particular family purchase this new set of beds.

Our friends at Shasbah (Sheffield Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus) asked if we could help one of their older members and his wife, who recently returned from holiday to find their house had burnt down. It's a shell now with water and smoke damage, and they are renting a place near to the house while the insurers make a decision on what might be covered. They are grateful no one was hurt and remain positive despite their significant losses but have been left with nothing and asked if we could send £500 for them to allow them to make some immediate purchases of clothes and other household essentials, as everything had been destroyed. We know our donation really helped in their hour of need.

One of our members told us about a family they are supporting. The family, with 3 boys under the age of 9 years, lives in a small 2-bedroom property, and space constraints are making their living situation particularly challenging. Mum has had a very difficult life and despite her resilience and determination, she is now struggling to make ends meet. She is being assisted with budgeting and debt management, and while she is making very good progress, her financial situation remains extremely tight. One of the biggest challenges she currently faces is her boys' sleeping arrangements. At 2 years old, the youngest boy is still sleeping in a travel cot in his mother’s room and will often disrupt her sleep during the night by climbing in with her. This makes coping with daily life even more difficult. Ideally, mum would like him to sleep in his own bed, and to share a room with her two sons instead. She has no surplus income per month because she is currently paying off debts so ...

Our friends at Shelter asked if we could support a client who fled domestic abuse and was placed in a refuge. She was housed in her first sole tenancy in December 2025. She only receives single person Universal Credit which amounts to £400 per month after rent is deducted. She must manage her household on this small amount. Unfortunately, recently her glasses were broken and when she approached her opticians to get a replacement, she was told that she is not entitled to another free pair via UC until October 2027. Due to her limited income, she has been unable to afford to replace the glasses and she has been having headaches as a consequence of this. We were asked if we could send £80 to help her purchase a decent pair of glasses. Of course, we were happy to do this, and asked her support worker if there was anything else she might need, and agreed we would also send an additional £120 to allow her to buy a small freestanding chest freezer. Two very modest donations to help some...

One of our members asked if we could support the S2 foodbank in Sheffield, a small independent foodbank. Our member is a volunteer there and told us about the project. Unlike some food banks, S2 does not require a professional referral, so people can just turn up to receive a food parcel. However, in return, recipients are expected to engage with the support on offer to help them address the financial difficulties which brought them to the food bank - be that with debt advice or benefits claims, ultimately with the aim of moving them on to shopping in the charity’s community shop. At the moment, donations of food are down 90% on this time last year and the food bank is struggling to fill food bags. We were asked if we could give £500 which will help them restock their shelves and continue with the fantastic work they are doing in the local area. https://www.s2foodbank.org.uk/

Our friends at Darnall Well Being told us about their weekly men's group, open to men from the local community, that focuses on socialising, exercise, learning, and lunch. This group has been active for about 10 years, evolving and changing throughout. Men's groups are becoming increasingly vital in tackling the 'quiet crisis' of male isolation, offering a structured and safe environment to discuss challenges such as relationships, grieving, mental health, and career pressures that men often face and are having to deal with alone. The group promotes in-person connections which positively lead to reducing isolation. Currently, they typically have around 20 participants each week. They also bring in guests to the group to enhance learning and awareness. For instance, recently Sheffield Mind visited, sharing valuable insights on anger management, mindfulness, and art. The group is open to men from the local community, providing a safe space where everyone can socialise ...

Our friends at Shasbah (Sheffield Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus) asked if we could help one of their adult members get a short break away from his supporting living home in Sheffield, to have a holiday stay in adapted accommodation in Blackpool. Due to needing 24/7 care, he also has to pay for an additional person to attend too, which makes the cost of the trip quite prohibitive - £780 for a twin room. Shasbah are able to provide their maximum holiday grant of £150 and asked if we could give £500 to add to the pot, which we were pleased to do to allow their member and his sister to plan a 4 night trip to Blackpool in August. This is a much needed change of scene for them and we hope they have a wonderful time.

We received a nomination from a member asking if we could help fund some bespoke training equipment for St John's Ambulance. We are sure most of you will be aware of St John's Ambulance - a nationwide first aid charity. South Yorkshire has a team of volunteers who dedicate a considerable amount of their free time to provide medical support at many events. In addition to this, they also run First Aid sessions to community groups throughout South Yorkshire, including Scouts, Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows, Brownies, Girl Guides, Sea Cadets, schools, after school clubs, holiday clubs, libraries, Women’s Institutes, etc. As you can imagine there is a massive demand for these sessions, which also need to be tailored to be age-appropriate when covering an age range of 4-84! The youngest prove that you are never too young to learn, and are taught how and when to call 999 through stories and a great deal of entertaining audience participation! The older groups are taught life saving skill...

We are pleased to be back with our latest donation which has come from one of our members at a local community organisation. They ased if we could help a young woman they are supporting - a refugee who has been a victim of slavery and sexual abuse for one and a half years. She has recently been allocated a council house in Sheffield - but the house is not in a good way at all. It needs repainting - which tenants are responsible for themselves- is of course unfurnished - St Vincents are helping provide some furniture - and in a situation we have heard time and again, there is no carpet throughout and no funding to buy carpet. Not surprisingly, this young woman is struggling - our member told us how hard she is trying to sort things out and engage with the support being offered - but it is exhausting for her. Our £500 will make a difference, not just in helping towards paying to get her house more habitable, but also giving her moral support that people care and this will help build t...