Thank You for Supporting Us During Small Charity Week
Thanks to your generosity during Big Give Small Charity Week, we raised an amazing £8,580, which was matched to £18,931 by Global's Make Some Noise and Gift Aid.
While we narrowly missed our £20,000 target, your contributions brought us within touching distance, and every single pound raised will have a direct, tangible impact.
To everyone who donated, shared the fundraiser, encouraged others, ran a stall, handed out flyers, or boosted our message online: thank you. This was a true collective effort, and we’re deeply grateful to be surrounded by such a strong, compassionate community.
What Your Donations Achieve: Real Change for People Seeking Asylum
At ASSIST Sheffield, we support people who have been refused asylum and are left without access to housing or public funds. The money raised will go directly toward essentials that restore dignity, stability and hope.
Welfare Payments
These small but vital cash payments enable clients to buy food, toiletries, and other daily necessities, offering a crucial safeguard against poverty and destitution.
With the £40 a week of support, I can buy Vietnamese food and cover my living costs. - Client
Under my circumstances, it helped me to feed myself throughout the time at ASSIST. I had no other way to help myself. - Client
Bus Passes
A bus pass can be the difference between isolation and integration. It allows our clients to attend medical appointments, legal meetings, and community activities, staying connected and supported in a new city.
It helped me to volunteer, travel around more easily, collect food bank and travel to my ESOL classes. I now know a few basic words in English. If I didn’t have a bus pass, I could not go to the office to progress my case with my caseworker or the Red Cross. - Client
It was so helpful having the choice as to how long and when I would get the bus pass. Sometimes, I would get the pass in the summer months to go to the park for football, visit friends, hang out at the Peace Gardens and also my GP appointments. - Client
What’s Next: Keep the Momentum Going
In a political and social climate that’s increasingly hostile to people seeking sanctuary, our work is more urgent than ever. In 2024, 44,433 people were refused asylum in the UK — a 40% increase from the previous year — driving a significant number into destitution and homelessness. This surge contributed to a staggering 251% rise in homelessness among people leaving asylum accommodation in 2023-2024.
This campaign was not only a success, it was a statement: That we are not an island of strangers, but rather an island and community of welcome, care, and resistance against animosity.
Are you feeling inspired? There are so many ways to stay involved and support us:
- Fundraise for ASSIST in your workplace, school, or local group
- Run the Sheffield 10K for us on Sunday 28th September
- Become a regular monthly donor, even small amounts have a big impact
If you’re Interested, please get in touch at: donations@assistsheffield.org.uk
Thank You 🧡
Since 2003, ASSIST has stood in solidarity with people seeking asylum, offering dignity, hope, and practical support in the face of rising hostility.
This fundraiser demonstrates that actions of all sizes, from many different individuals in our generous community, can create real and lasting change.
From all of us at ASSIST, and from those we support, thank you.
