500 together

A few weeks ago, one of our members told us about Maureen. It has taken a bit of time to learn all about her situation and we were asked not to publish every detail that her family has shared with us - but her moving story really made us want to support her. Maureen worked at Newfield Nursing Home in Sheffield for over 25 years. Maureen is 84 years old and is described by her former employer as “a shining example to our younger generation, with a big heart too”. For the majority of her time at the care home Maureen was a carer, but as she got older she took on the role of hostess supporting the elderly residents. Many of you may have heard of the care home because of the tragic covid-19 events. Many homes were hit hard and Newfield sadly got hit early during the pandemic. Since the first confirmed case in the home, Maureen has been shielding for her own health. Sadly the care home had to close permanently in mid October 2020 and Maureen is not entitled to any redundancy pay despite se...

With our latest donation we are helping a family in Sheffield who are asylum seekers who have been waiting for a decision on their case for a considerable length of time - it's a very stressful situation as they are unable to provide for themselves through work.   They have two young children of primary school age and are relying on relatives and foodbanks for help, with no end in sight.  The member who nominated the family told us they would be most grateful for some help with school uniforms, shoes and winter clothing in general for the two children and if there is enough for the Mum, she would love to have some winter clothes, although she said she would prioritise the children's needs first. They would also like to buy some food for themselves. The family said that the children are using her phone to access the internet for school work - apparently they used to have a small tablet but it broke. When we offered to buy them a laptop, they were almost speechless.  So we ...

Even in normal times, an ability to access online services and resources is important. Covid-19 and the pandemic has made it vital and has highlighted the impact of digital poverty. And the nominations we have received recently have shone a light on this issue as well. At the start of lockdown, one third of the young people that Sheffield Young Carers were supporting did not have the right digital equipment to be able to do their school work from home. One family did not even have any paper and pens to write or draw with. Young carers and young people in general have been hit hard by the pandemic and its accompanying restrictions, so being able to do school and college work and stay connected with family and friends is essential. We are providing laptops for two more young carers. Their lives are very different to most of our children’s and we in awe of the support they give their families and are happy to be able to help. Ruth is 11 and cares for her younger brother who has autism. Ru...

  A s we enter another period of lockdown and physical and social distancing we have again been asked to help someone become more digitally connected to their community. Thank you to the 500 together member who nominated Cookie to receive a donation of £310, which she is using to get a laptop and a Word processing package. Cookie has been a founder member of the Community allotment site at Infield Lane, Sheffield since 2008. With access to her own device, she will now be able to attend zoom meetings going forward, be that for the Allotment Committee, links to Darnall Well Being - Volunteering and attending training and workshops.  Computer access and word processing package will also mean she could cascade across the other participants and volunteers at the Allotment. e.g. Covid Confidence Training, and Dementia Volunteering.  Cookie says,  “Throughout the Covid period initially I was  required to self-isolate – but yet to still access the Allotment site ...

This donation sees £500 split between 3 young carers, who are supported by the fantastic Sheffield Young Carers. In these Covid restricted times having internet access has proved more valuable than ever in so many ways - ensuring we can stay connected with friends, family, work, school, giving us entertainment and access to the wider world when we cannot physically go out.  It’s something most of us probably take for granted. Our £500 is going to make a big difference to these 3 young people.  We are going to be buying 2 routers and 9 months internet provision for 2 of them,  as well as a laptop for the third.  Sheffield Young Carers (SYC) have kindly allowed us to share the stories of 2 of these young people who are going to benefit from our help. Maryam Maryam is 17 years old and cares for her mum who has mental health problems and physical disabilities which affect her mobility. Her mum’s health means that she finds it very difficult to leave the house and needs h...

  Donation number 24 allows us to help the  family of a 9 year old boy called Theo.  We have sent them £500 towards buying a new  wheelchair  for Theo. Theo was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. At just 9 weeks old he was fitted with a VP (ventriculoperitoneal) shunt - a hydrocephalus treatment to drain extra fluid from the brain to help prevent pressure from getting too high.   He is partially paralysed waist to knees and paralysed knees down.  But in spite of his difficulties he is a very outgoing boy who enjoys life to the full.  He has been learning to play the violin, goes to cubs and enjoys performing in front of people with musical theatre.   He needs a wheelchair to help with getting around and relies upon it to be able to maintain his independence.  He got his first wheelchair from the NHS when he was 3 years old.  However, this was constantly breaking down - to the extent that in the first 6 mon...

We are pleased to be making another £300 donation this week.  Thanks to our member Phil for telling us about Anthony Olaseinde who runs  ‘Always an Alternative’ - a non-profit organisation whose aim is to reduce serious youth violence: Knife crime, gun crime and gangs by engaging the youthful minds of today.  We hear in the news about the worrying increase in knife crime around the UK, including Sheffield, in recent years .  Anthony wanted to do something to try to change this, realising that young people were the main target and offenders of these attacks.  3 years ago he decided to try and reduce knife crime by educating the youth of Sheffield through a campaign called Keep Sheffield Stainless. At Keep Sheffield Stainless, a team of volunteers work to create a safe place for those affected by knife crime to come together, and to reduce the number of knives on the street. They want to significantly reduce the number of people injured and killed by knives. ...