Wyatt Brothers’ Christmas gift to Shekinah is a welcome boost for rough sleepers

Rough sleepers in Plymouth will be getting some hot food and Christmas treats from city charity Shekinah over the festive period, with the help of a donation from local family firm, Wyatt Brothers Independent Funeral Directors.

The cheque for £250, which is part of ongoing sponsorship by the Stonehouse-based firm, comes as the number of people sleeping rough and in insecure accommodation remains a significant problem, according to Laura Fraser-Crewes, head of operations and client support services at Shekinah.

Laura revealed that to meet the growing need, the charity’s fundraising campaign this Christmas is to raise money towards 7-days-a-week opening. Shekinah’s drop-in centre in Bath Street currently opens six days a week.

Its services are needed more than ever over Christmas and New Year and Laura says support from local businesses such as Wyatt Brothers makes a big difference: “This is a very difficult time for our service users, particularly our rough sleepers, and this donation helps us to stay open all the way through Christmas. It will contribute towards us being able to make special meals over the festive time, so we can buy some meat and make it extra special with some treats.

“But homelessness is here all year round, which is why our Christmas fundraising campaign is to enable us to become an all-week service by also opening on Sundays. If we can raise enough money, that’s something we’ll be able to do in 2018.”

John Wyatt, who runs the funeral directors with his brother James, said: “Growing up in a vicarage, my parents always had people in on Christmas Day who would otherwise have had nowhere to go, so from an early age, I could see that there was a genuine need.

“And although it’s rough all year round, it’s particularly painful at this time of year, when they see other people spending money and having a joyous time with friends and family and going to pubs as groups, while they’re sitting outside on their own, in the cold and rain.”

Around 60 people use Shekinah’s drop-in centre each day, with more than half of those being rough sleepers: “We work with lots of people who are vulnerable and in distress, people who have mental health issues and people in poverty who might be working,” said Laura.

“Over the last nine years, there has been a national increase in homelessness, which is unacceptable on every level.  Often, these are people with quite complex needs, so it’s not just about giving people accommodation. It’s also about supporting them in healing and resolving those underlying issues.

“Importantly, it’s also about giving them hope, to help move them forwards.”

Shekinah’s service users are over-18, men and women from all walks of life and of all ages, although elderly people are particularly badly affected. “There’s no one reason for homelessness,” said Laura. “Often, it’s related to relationship or family breakdown. It’s certainly not a lifestyle choice.

“And It’s not just Shekinah’s problem, it’s everyone’s problem.  The impact of getting people out of homelessness and helping them deal with the underlying factors, is positive for the whole community. These people can make positive contributions, so it should be all our responsibilities.”

On Christmas Day, the drop-in centre, which is just behind the Pavilions, will open at 8am for hot showers, a festive breakfast and to give out gifts: “We are working in collaboration with other organisations in Plymouth, so after being with us in the morning, our service users can then go on to other agencies who are opening their doors on Christmas Day,” explained Laura.

Shekinah have posted a list of all the organisations offering food, warmth and company on Christmas Day, so that people can book in advance. Shekinah is open again on Boxing Day for breakfast, with the Port O’ Call café in West Hoe offering a lunch afterwards.

Wyatt Brothers have also donated £250 to the Salvation Army’s Devonport Morice Town community centre in Balfour Terrace, where 80 people will be having lunch and mince pies and enjoying Christmas festivities. Volunteers from Community Christmas Day Plymouth will be helping out with the day’s events from 10.30am, and free transport with a tail lift for wheelchairs is available.

Major Andrew Richards from the Salvation Army said: “We see a mixture of people on Christmas Day, but mostly they are people in our community who are lonely, notably elderly people.” To book a place, contact Andrew on 01752 563896.

For John Wyatt, supporting the local community is integral to being part of the community: “As a family firm, we are very aware that this time of year can be particularly difficult for a lot of people locally, those who’ve been bereaved, of course, but we must also remember those who are on their own at Christmas and those who have no homes to go to.

“So just in a small way, helping them to have something on Christmas Day and over the Christmas period is very important.  And care isn’t just 9-5, Monday to Friday, it’s 7-days a week.”