Every year, here at easyfundraising we choose a cause to be our cause of the year. A cause which we will get behind in our own fundraising efforts across the 12 months, including our online shopping as well as other challenges and events. For 2024, we chose Birmingham Christmas Shelter, an organisation now in its 50th year which helps those who are homeless or lonely across Birmingham enjoy a hot meal and a true festive experience during Christmas week.
The charity has been using easyfundraising for more than a decade now and many of our staff have previously volunteered there, as can be read about in this blog piece from all the way back in 2010. As we head towards their extremely busy period of the year, we spoke with Trustee Simon Rixon, to learn more about the shelter in 2024 and how they will use the funding we have generated for them, which stands at just over £9,000 this year alone!
Tell us all about Birmingham Christmas Shelter
We’re a local charity that was started in 1974, but became a registered charity in 1991. Our mission is to provide local adults who are homeless or alone at Christmas with a safe, welcoming, warm and comforting place to eat, shower, sleep and most importantly, enjoy their Christmas. Obviously during Christmas week, most of the other services such people rely on, take a well-earned rest and close down.
Every year we set up the shelter in an existing building large enough to accomodate between 50 and 150 guests during the week of Christmas, which in 2024 will be 24th-28th December. Around half of these guests will also stay with us overnight. This year we’re located at St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School, just off Bristol Street in Birmingham. The shelter will be open 24 hours over the 5 days and manned by more than 50 volunteers on each shift.
Guests may be homeless, hungry, wet, cold, lost, in poverty or just seeking somewhere to go at Christmas that is welcoming. We also welcome dogs as long as they are on leads and accompanied by a human guest!
What services do you offer guests that attend the shelter?
Food – we offer three hot meals each day, including a vegetarian option, plus we offer a tea and sandwich bar.
Comfort – warmth, comfortable seating, a bed for the night.
Companionship – each volunteer is actively encouraged to chat with the guests, it’s such a rewarding part of the role and makes such a difference to each visitor.
Entertainment – volunteer DJ’s, comedians, singers and bands appear on the bill during the week, as we take advantage of the stage in the school’s main hall.
Health and beauty – we recruit local service providers, offering footcare, hairdressing, holistic therapies, beauty treatments as well as consultation to help people find accomodation and more.
Have a look at what shelter week looks like in this video:
What difference has being our cause of the year made?
We’re so grateful to have been nominated as your cause of the year! The funding has helped immensely – for the first time this year we are able to offer a mobile dental unit on site, so our guests can have their oral health reviewed which is so important for their wellbeing. We’ve also faced a number of operational challenges this year which the money has helped us to overcome and we head into the next shelter week with a wonderful band of volunteers and a fantastic venue.
What plans do you have for the shelter in the future?
Being in our 50th year, we always have plans and considerations to grow and develop, especially as the region has acute accommodation problems. We welcome even greater numbers of people year on year and aim to provide a wider range of services to them all. This could include a bigger venue, an increased need for marketing to recruit more volunteers, with more volunteers comes greater training requirements.
Do you and the fellow trustees use easyfundraising?
Yes! We find it so easy to use and the fact it’s literally free funding that we gain access to is just wonderful. We have our own dedicated fundraising page and we’ve been over the moon to see the quarterly payments land with us through the year, averaging more than £3,000 each time thanks to your staff’s support too.
Christmas obviously provides a huge opportunity for people to support causes via a site like easyfundraising, when more shopping is being done. For charities, though giving is more considered, with the current cost-of-living it can be hard for people to also support charities along with gift buying and food etc. (we know all about how expensive that can be!). So to be able to raise free money just by doing your Christmas shopping is fantastic and hopefully many feel that we are a worthy cause of these donations, especially at this time of year.
Anything else you would you like to say to your supporters?
An enormous thank you to everyone who makes the shelter possible. Our trustees, supporters, volunteers and service providers – we couldn’t do what we do without you. To all of the team at easyfundraising – from the team who took part in the Sutton Fun Run for us, to the staff who have shopped and the cause relationship team who have been so supportive, thank you so much – you all deserve so much credit.
Get behind the shelter!
If you feel inspired by the work of the Birmingham Christmas Shelter and want to do something magical this Christmas, you can support them or volunteer for them.
To volunteer during shelter week, visit https://www.birminghamchristmasshelter.org/registration-for-volunteering/
To support them with every online shop, visit Birmingham Christmas Shelter Fundraising | Easyfundraising
If you would like to learn more about the shelter, or take advantage of their services please visit Shelter Week – Birmingham Christmas Shelter
