A Sheffield-based charity has highlighted the city’s homelessness crisis by drawing attention to the realities of rough sleeping.

The Archer Project has been running the Concrete Dreamz exhibition at Bethel Chapel on Cambridge Street from 28 November and it ended today.

The exhibition, created by design agency the Black Eye Project, shows beds made of concrete slabs, highlighting the harsh reality of living on the streets.

The beds are accompanied by statistics and experiences of homelessness during winter, asking the general public to put themselves in Sheffield’s homeless community’s shoes.

Joe Logan, head of fundraising at the Archer Project, spoke about the importance of the exhibition.

He said: “Not everyone has experienced homelessness. But most people have experienced going shopping, shopping for mattresses, and it’s something people value and rightfully so. What we’re trying to do is put it into the context of something people take for granted.”

With the exhibition closing today, Mr Logan spoke about public support the project has received.

He said: “Reaction has been really positive. A lot of people have commented on how brutal it is, but people have been very kind about talking about the work we do to support.”

The Archer Project has helped more than 1,100 people this year, providing warm beds and meals for 30 years.

The exhibition didn’t use any lived experience of Sheffield’s homeless, but Mr Logan talked about the impact of the charity’s projects.

He said: “The reactions we’ve had from people we’ve supported has been varied. One that means a lot to me is someone that thought we were taking the mick out of people sleeping rough, then he visited himself, he said that he got it and he was happy about what we were doing.”

The project also ran a carol service today, where poetry was shared about the struggles the homeless face during winter.

Volunteer Abby Walmsley said: “Winter is one of the toughest times of year.”

The Archer Project doesn’t receive any government funding, running solely on donations.

For information, or to support the project, visit Supporting Sheffields homeless and vulnerable | Cathedral Archer Project