Quality Street Sheffield: Kind-hearted residents decorate homes with giant replica sweets to help charity

At least 24 generous residents of Boyce Street and Bransby Street in Walkley have decked out their terraced homes with giant replicas from the iconic chocolate box brand.

Kayleigh Thomas, aged 36, first created a Quality Street-themed display at her three-bed property two years ago, before later getting her neighbours involved in the project.

But she said this year's effort was “bigger and better”, and with 10 more homes taking part, she believed they'd turned their “quality street” into a “quality community”.

Famed Yorkshire sweet brand Quality Street sent Kayleigh a free one-tonne pile of their chocolate, which she's been exchanging with locals for foodbank donations.

And she hopes that streets across the city might decorate their homes with the oversized chocolate decorations next noel to raise further funds for charity.

Kayleigh said: “It's gone from a quality street to a quality community that we hope to expand across the city. We have been trying to make it bigger and better than last year.

“There are lots doing different chocolates this year. There is a 'green triangle' house and the 'purple one' house. There are definitely more sweets on the street than last year.

“Quality Street sent one tonne of chocolate, which is really generous. I haven't got room for a Christmas tree right now, so this is my only storage solution. People can turn up and take out the sweets from a drop box to make a donation. But I'm fond of the fudge, so people have got to be really lucky to find a box with them in.”

Kayleigh, who works at an international school, began decorating her terraced home in 2020, using cellophane from her florists to make the oversized chocolate boxes.

And the following year, her idea “snowballed” as residents across two adjoining streets teamed up to raise £3,655 and pull in sacks of donations for the S6 Foodbank, in Sheffield.

Kayleigh said they'd set up a committee to help more residents take part this Christmas and had even created a special sweet decoration workshop.

Kayleigh said she was using the one-tonne of chocolate that Quality Street gave her to exchange for food bank donations through a “drop box” system.

She said: “We have a drop box, and people can put things in that and take the chocolate out. Any chocolate that's left will end up being donated to the food bank.

“But hopefully we will have so much food that we won't have much Quality Street. Last year, I filled my car to the brim with what people brought.”

Kayleigh said she hoped more streets up and down Sheffield would kit their homes out with chocolate box decorations next year to raise money for people in need.

She added: “We had the idea to have different Quality Streets across the city so that an area has its own decorations for a food bank.”

A spokesperson from Quality Street's owner Nestlé said: “Quality Street is made for sharing and we're delighted to be sharing some of Halifax's finest sweets with our neighbours over in Sheffield this Christmas.”

Visit JustGiving to donate to the fundraising effort.