Ongoing Projects

CART

Christian African Relief Trust is a Christian organisation based in Huddersfield who send out crates to Africa with much needed aid. Our members love to knit blankets and jumpers for Africans. We collect items such as computers, spectacles, bicycles, old hand tools  that can be sent to Africa CART also has a shop which sells second hand items to pay for the high shipping costs of the crates.

Clewer Initiative

We continue to help Sheffield Police Trafficking dept. We have donated clothes, underwear and toiletries when needed, often at quite short notice. We have joined in online training courses on understanding County Lines for grandparents, parents, and guardians.

Prison

Sheffield MU has links with HMP Moorland Prison and unfortunately have not been able to help in the Prison Play Area due to Covid regulations. PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust) are now involved and encourage dads to play with their children under supervision.

Sheffield MU send over a 1000 Christmas cards to prisoners every year and these were well received and we had several etters from the recipients.

We also support the Carver St Parish Nurses and the Archer Project as well as the Read aloud Project

Links with HMP Moorlands.

Sheffield MU has links with HMP Moorland Prison and set up a children's play are to allow visiting parents have quality time with their partners and then the children to have contact with their father. Unfortunately have not been able to help in the Prison Play Area due to Covid regulations.

PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust) , continues their invaluable work whilst Sheffield Diocese decided to move in a different direction.

Every prisoner would  receive a Christmas card each year as part of our outreach, written by members. We have also involved members in making small knitted or material Christmas Tree Decorations which grace the tree in the visitors’ area. Members were so very generous and rose to the challenge with enthusiasm! Eleven hundred cards were written this  year and delivered at the beginning of December. Although sounding a daunting task there is never any problem finding willing members who will take cards to write, and it means such a great deal to the recipient. Last January  we received some wonderful letters from prisoners showing their appreciationfor last years cards.

We feel that God is working within us all to give them some comfort, hope and encouragement.

Eleven hundred cards all addressed and signed by members and friends of Sprotbrough and Warmsworth branches. Ready to be delivered to inmates at HMP Moorland 2025 A big thankyou to all who helped!

Womens' Refuges

We support 5 Women’s Refuges across our Diocese. 2 in Sheffield, one in each of the major towns-Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham.

Each Refuge has a close Sheffield MU contact and  they are in regular contact with the refuge and If there is an urgent need one of the staff will telephone the contact  and she will send out a plea and members respond to their requests for help.

Barnsley

Each of the branches in Tankersley Deanery are responsible for a month when the members collect for the residents., We supply kitchen disposables (washing powder, bleach, softener, washing up liquid etc), We also provide paints and craft materials, paper and craft kits for the play room. We give dressing up clothes for role ply (doctors nurses, policeman, fireman etc) the children gave a fashion parade for parents during half term. Outside toys and a bubble making machine also gave a lot of fun.

At Christmas we gave Advent calendars for the children and small gifts of chocolate for the mums.

Tankersley Refuge was short of towels so a request was sent to Tankersley Deanery- and the response filled a car!

Doncaster

Members regularly provide ‘Fresh Start baskets’ for women  moving on from their stay at the refuge. At Christmas we provide each one with toiletries, food hampers and gifts.

DASH Deanery regularly suppies items fo the refuge. One branch provides a box of toiletries every month  deanery and others provide fresh Start baskets and items for moving on.

Rotherham

Rotherham Women’s Refuge continues to be supported with gifts of basic foodstuffs & toiletries for use when they first arrive often with nothing. They have also been given “real” Advent calendars, Christmas gifts & Easter eggs.

Whiston Branch delivered 36 Real Christmas Advent Calendrs to Rotherham Refuge

Sheffield

Sheffield has 2 units- one in the South East of the city and one on the west side.

 Again members support these by providing Toiletries and the Moving Along Baskets to each Refuge. We have also  given plants ( at their request)  Christmas Gifts for the women and  Advent calendars, Easter Eggs, outdoor toys and hats and gloves for the children.

All the refuges are very grateful for our support.

Baby Basics and Families First Rotherham

Baby Basics UK is one of the largest networks of baby banks in the country. Through our network of centres across the UK we support families with all the practical essentials they need for life with children from pre birth – 5 yrs.

We support Baby Baby Basics Sheffield and Baby Basics Doncaster

Rotherham Families First is unique, in that our service user’s identities are unknown to us. Via professional key workers we are able to provide clothing, bedding, towels, curtains, small household items and baby equipment etc, free of charge.

We support Rotherham Families First.

Knitted items from Barnburgh	Baby Baskets frim DASH Deanery	A Car load of donations from Wath Deanery