Take time out from the Christmas shopping and give a little Festive cheer to South Yorkshire youth homelessness charity Roundabout.

Roundabout is the charity that supports more than 380 vulnerable young people every day, providing shelter, support and life skills to help them gain independence all year round.

Since the cost-of-living crisis began in 2021, the charity has supported more than 1,800 young people aged 16 to 25 who were either homeless or at risk.

And that care does not stop at Christmas, a time of joy and hope for many but also a time of fear and loneliness for others.

The Roundabout Christmas cards have been created by popular local artists.

placeholder image — The Roundabout Christmas cards have been created by popular local artists.

That is why the charity is hoping Festive shoppers will add an extra present to their Christmas preparations, with either a cash donation or a gift for one of the young people supported by Roundabout’s services.

And to make the task even easier, Roundabout now has its own online Amazon Wish List.

“Our aim is always to give our young people as good a Christmas as possible but we cannot do that without the help of the public,” said Roundabout Fundraising Manager Emily Jones.

“We always ask our supporters to bear in mind that the young people we support range in age from 16 to 25 so we need things that that reflect that diversity.

“There are so many items you could give us - things like high street vouchers, games, home décor, pampering essentials, pyjamas, arts and craft supplies, stationary, books and gadgets such as headphones.

“Although we would love donations to include gift wrap or gift bags, we do ask that people do not wrap items, so that we can match each gift to an appropriate young person.

“If you decide to give a gift from our Amazon Wish List, you’ll be helping to make Christmas a special occasion for a young person who might otherwise believe they had no reason to celebrate this very special time of the year.

Another way to support Roundabout at Christmas is to make a donation instead of buying gifts.

A donation of £7.50 could buy a Christmas dinner, while £15 could help to make sure a young person does not spend Christmas Day alone but instead in a warm, safe place and £30 would fund a mediation session that could help to keep families together this Christmas.

“Why not make a donation to Roundabout for friends and family instead of giving them a traditional Christmas present?” Emily suggested.

“We’re sure they would be delighted to know that they’re making Christmas special for some of the most vulnerable young people in our area.”

Also available to buy this Christmas as a special gift for family and friends are the hugely successful Roundabout Roses, handcrafted in steel by local artists James Sutton and Spitfire Forge and available to buy for as little as £25 via the Roundabout website.

“Don’t forget too that we also have a range of Roundabout Christmas cards, created for us by some of the region’s most popular artists and another great way to support the work we are doing,” said Emily.

“The festive designs are by Matt Cockayne, Nip Snipz, Luke Horton, Jam Artworks and Drawn by Woodsy.

“A pack of five cards costs just £5, plus £1.70 postage and the full range is available now at our website.”

To find out more about all the ways of supporting Roundabout at Christmas, including the Amazon Wish List, visit roundabouthomeless.org