500 together

This week we have given £500 to a Sheffield couple with young children who have been re-housed but can't take much of their furniture or any carpets with them due to the terrible damage caused by extreme mould and damp conditions in their current accommodation which has made much of their furniture /carpets unusable. They have a lot on their plate at the moment and felt overwhelmed with the task of moving home, buying replacement things and providing for young children during lockdown. They have struggled financially and one of the things they really need is carpets for their new home. Thank you to our member who nominated them - we are very happy to provide £500 towards carpeting the house and we hope this goes a little way to get the family off to a good start in their new home.

  Donation 34 goes to OSMIS (One Stop Mentoring Inclusion Service), to help fund a sensory room for young people that they work with. OSMIS  is a Sheffield based not-for-profit service, which was set up 3 years ago to provide social and emotional help for vulnerable young people, specifically providing a 1-2-1 mentoring service for children who are struggling with school for various reasons. Young people are referred to  OSMIS  via schools and the Local Authority and their main focus is to work with young people, giving them space, time and support to build them back up so that ultimately they are able to go back to school.  With our donation, OSMIS are going to convert an office space into a sensory room, not only for those that have sensory issues or similar conditions, but also as a calming space for young people who are feeling generally stressed, anxious and overwhelmed.  Demand for help from OSMIS has doubled since the last big loc...

This week our recipients, a mum and her young children, lost their husband/father to COVID. Family Voice, who do truly invaluable work supporting families in the Sharrow/ Nether Edge area, have been working with the family since the mum came to them in February 2020 for English classes.  The organisation has helped the family with food, essentials and furniture over the past few months, as they were struggling financially. Family Voice is going to use the £500 to help relieve some of the financial stress the family is going to have over the coming month and is also planning to use some of it to pay someone to support mum in her first language, as she grieves on her own, isolated at home with her children.

Our member Eve, nominated her friend Neil, who was diagnosed with Bladder cancer stage CIS T1 in August. He has had two operations to remove the tumour and is currently waiting on Biopsy results to decide on the next course of treatment   Upon diagnosis Neil he lost his job, and as he was self employed he cannot receive any Government assistance with income or benefit.  Normally, he would be able to gain employment but due to the current Covid 19 situation he has been unable to secure any work or help for funds just when they are needed the most.  Moreover, the ongoing situation with Covid 19 since March 2020 has meant Neil has not had the benefit of regular work to accrue funds.     In addition to the NHS treatment Neil has been advised to take supplemental holistic treatment, and there is a cost that he has struggled to meet - which alongside the diagnosis itself has put a huge strain on his mental wellbeing. As a result his frien...

We are pleased to be able to share news of our latest donation, which has an early festive feel as we help a family have a brighter Christmas after a very challenging year. Thank you to our member Jess, who told us about her friend Beth, wondering if we might be able to help her out. She told us that Beth, a mum of 2 young girls had been diagnosed with breast cancer over the summer and circumstances had left her struggling financially - adding stress to an already difficult time. Beth was kind enough to share her story with us. Way back in the first lockdown Beth went to the doctor about an unrelated issue and ended up having a breast examination. The doctor found a small lump in her right breast. Initially it was not considered a cause for concern, but 2 weeks later after a follow up appointment, Beth was referred to the breast surgery team at the Hallamshire for a precautionary check, whilst being reassured it was probably nothing to worry about. They wanted to biopsy the lump to che...

This week we are spending £210 buying a tv for a mum and her children. They have recently fled from domestic abuse and violence, leaving their family home due to the danger their father / husband posed to them. They fled with very few belongings and have been placed in cramped accommodation, hoping to be rehoused to somewhere more suitable soon. The social worker helped them move and has managed to source some essential items for the time being. The children have been forced to leave the area that they have been raised in and now have to travel on 2 buses to school daily. Their nominator told us that one key thing they do not have is a tv and we are pleased to be able to help out to get this for them. Even without lockdown the thought of having kids and no tv would be daunting. We hope it helps them a little. We did ask if there was anything else the family needed right now, but as their space is so limited they would prefer to wait until they are in a more permanent home. Once the ...

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...