Ben's Centre: Sheffield charity launches Christmas Cheer appeal to bring festive 'magic'
A Sheffield charity for people struggling with addiction, launched a Christmas Cheer Appeal to give all clients a £5 gift voucher.
Ben’s Centre, based in Broomhall, operates a drop-in day centre which provides people with a hot meal, access to clothing and washing facilities as well as internet access, activities and support with wellbeing, health issues and housing.
Each year, the charity provides a Christmas dinner for people who access the service as well as a visit from Santa.
Many of the clients are isolated from friends and families and spend Christmas day alone.
Ben’s Centre initially set a goal of £250 which would mean 50 £5 universal gift vouchers could be given to clients who access the service before Christmas.
This goal was surpassed in the first week and the charity is now aiming for £500, with the additional funds going towards the Christmas party.
Daryl Bishop, CEO of Ben’s Centre, said: “We want to bring that bit of Christmas magic that many of our clients are missing. A lot of the people we see don’t have a place to call home so we offer a safe place where people can be themselves and access services in a comfortable environment.
‘Christmas dinner is legendary’
“The Ben’s Centre Christmas dinner is legendary. We offer a traditional meal with all the trimmings as well as interactive entertainment. We want to make it as special as possible and that’s why this year we want to give our clients gift vouchers so they can buy something nice for themselves.
“We receive donations for winter warmers at this time of year which are also really important. But for Christmas we want to give our clients the chance to buy something they want, not something they need.”
In 2023-24, Ben’s Centre provided more than 6,500 meals to vulnerable people in the city. They also provide a space for services like chiropodists and blood-borne virus testing to come to clients.
The centre sees between 25 and 40 people a day, with more clients accessing the centre in the lead up to Christmas.
The charity also operates an outreach programme to identify individuals needing support on the streets.
‘These are not scary entities huddled in doorways’
Daryl said: “This appeal is part of our mission to change public perception of people who struggle with addiction and its associated challenges. A lot of our clients feel unwelcome in their own city.
“These are not scary entities huddled in doorways. They are real people with their own stories to tell who have often had a very difficult life.”
Ben’s Centre previously ran a charity shop, Ben’s Bazaar, on Rockingham Gate which closed in 2023 after the building as declared unsafe and their Moor Market stall failed to bring profits.
However, Daryl said this has not negatively impacted the charity’s finances as they receive charitable contributions throughout the year.
As well as donating to the fundraiser, Daryl said donations of tea, coffee and sugar will never go amiss.
He said: “We go through gallons of coffee at the centre so any donations like this are very helpful. We also accept any donations of clean, warm clothes which will keep our clients from going cold in the winter months.”