Co-written with Peter Spriggs
A rousing Christmas carol concert brought merriment to a community of hundreds at Sheffield Cathedral this afternoon in support of the city’s homeless population.
The Archer Project, a charity based at the Cathedral, hosted the feel-good singalong to raise money and awareness for the vulnerable people they support, some of whom were in attendance.
The donations kindly supplied by today’s audience will be spent meeting the Project’s core objective – ‘from sleeping bag to employment’ – which aims to help the homeless back into work.
Lucy Wilks, Events and Corporate Partnerships Officer for the Archer Project, said: “Homelessness is a difficult time all year round, but particularly in the winter in the freezing conditions.”
She encouraged people to spend the season spreading joy to those who are an often-forgotten part of society, even if that is something as simple as saying hello.
The Archer Project was launched in the 1980s to provide hot drinks and breakfast for those who used the Cathedral for shelter and warmth.
Its service later expanded to combat the drastic increase in unemployment, poverty and homelessness the city suffered as a result of industrial decline.
Today the Project works to supply food, clothing and showers to those who have fallen on hard times, working with housing services, medical teams and mental health services to help people get back on their feet.
In recent years, its workload has unfortunately increased under the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis.
Ms Wilks said: “There’s a common misconception that all homeless people are drug addicts or alcoholics, but homelessness can happen to anyone.
“We have people from all walks of life who use our service.”
The Christmas carol concert was introduced by Tim Renshaw BEM, CEO of the Archer Project, who spent 14 nights sleeping rough to connect with the ordeals of those he helps.
His book about this experience, ‘14 Nights’, highlights the importance of interacting with homeless people and that just a smile can make all the difference to their day.
The service then launched into choral renditions of Silent Night, Do You Hear What I Hear?, and Feliz Navidad, which had everyone on their feet bopping along.
Asked what people can do to help this Christmas, Ms Wilks concluded: “One of the things that people can do is just tell people about us. We’re here, we’re able to offer that support and that safe space.”
