The Archer Project

The past week alone we've had strong winds and heavy rain, making the bitterly cold weather even more dangerous for people trying to survive without adequate housing. During winter, 20mph wind chills can drop temperatures by 3°C with devastating effects. So, when you turn your heating on, please spare a thought for those who can't. If you can spare a few quid, even better. Donate to support people experiencing homelessness in our region today at https://lnkd.in/g2BxUbNy Thank you

Under the Arches #15 - Scrotes and Cockroaches Written by Tim Renshaw If there was a ‘Dummies’ book on ‘How to marginalise people’, I think the first chapter would be “Name Calling and Labelling”. All you need is to choose a group of people, any group will do, and then opt for a name associated with negatives. A good example is ‘cockroaches’. Nobody wants to hear that cockroaches are near. They are associated with dirt and their presence causes panic. Calling someone a cockroach tells them they are not wanted, and they are sub-human. Last week, I was speaking to a friend and it occurred to me he is someone we could have called a cockroach when he was younger. His dysfunctional home made him 'a bit of a nightmare' in school and he recalls a particular teacher telling him he was no good, would come to nothing and that the school would have been better off without him. He left school, learned a profession, became a leader and then an entrepreneur and lives very comfortably using his time these days to mentor others. Not bad for a cockroach! Of course, he wasn’t marginalised, but so easily could’ve been. This time the process failed. A week before that I was talking to someone at our Project about the ‘labelling’ that comes hand in hand with homelessness and realised he was prime ‘cockroach’ material. He’s been to prison, he was addicted to heroin and spent time begging and sleeping on the street. I know he’s prime material because the words ‘cockroaches’ and ‘scrotes’ were used in meetings I was at to describe all these characteristics, to describe people who are the bottom of our society and already marginalised. They were talking about people who are street homeless in the city centre. At The Project he had said to me, “Tim, you’ve got to practise the gratitude. Every day I say ‘no’ to the drugs and 'yes' to good stuff. I even say thanks every time I sit to eat.” We weren’t talking about his past, it was just an everyday chat, but a clear reminder of the hard work that continues in a life after homelessness... Read the rest by heading to https://lnkd.in/gqFeQf2e

Join Tony Curry, Rob Kozluk, Chris Morgan and Paddy Kenny on the 7th March at Bramall Lane for a night of entertainment while supporting our vital work. Please contact Kev J. or email kevjohnson519@yahoo.co.uk to buy your tickets!

The 30 over 60 Festival is a party for the Sheffield Cathedral Head Verger David Maw who will be celebrating his 60th birthday and 30 year anniversary of being Head Verger!   Held on Saturday 15th February at Sheffield Cathedral, the party will include an array of musical acts and the night will be headlined by the brilliant Jungle Lion! Admission is by a suggested donation on the day to The Archer Project

Was your new years resolution to take on a challenge? Come and join #TeamArcher and run for us at this year’s Sheffield Half Marathon!   To register your interest email Lucy: lucy.wilks@archerproject.org.uk

I was watching football when the text came. A death on the street, a woman found unresponsive and pronounced dead. Earlier that day she had left The Project and hugged one of the support workers on her way out. There is huge sadness. What makes this death different is the 'street celebrity’ status. Within a couple of hours of the death the first social media appeared, “Social media icon” found dead. ... “Just for likes, that’s what it comes down to. They exploited her just for likes.” When we say exploited, that’s what we mean. It wasn’t a casual filming of someone you come across, which many think is bad enough. No, she was sought out, she told us she was given money to be on social media, to swim in fountains in the middle of winter or dance in an inebriated state like a performing clown or whatever. Under the Arches #14 - 'Just for likes' is now live. Please go to https://lnkd.in/eiP5tzJr to read the full blog.

Using screen printing as a mindfulness tool is at the heart of what we do 🎨✨ Recently, we hosted a workshop for our recovery network partners, the amazing team at Roundabout, Sheffield! The young people who came along got hands-on with printing, learned how it supports employment and heard inspiring stories from those who have joined our supported employment programme. You can read more about our recovery workshops in the blog here- https://lnkd.in/eKfFBQtM #PrintedbyUs #Roundabout

Please help if you can! We are really low on much needed winter items including: Men’s boxers (size S/M/L) Woolly hats Winter gloves Winter scarves Socks You can drop off donations at The Archer Project, Church Street, S1 1HA (at the Campo Lane entrance behind Sheffield Cathedral) Monday - Friday 8:30am-1:30pm. You can also donate supplies through our Amazon Wishlist using the following link: https://lnkd.in/ee6434Wx **Please ensure all food stuffs are well in-date before donating** ** We can accept clean, used socks in good condition, but any underwear must be new and in it’s original packaging for hygiene purposes**

In collaboration with Lord Mayor Jayne Dunn and her chosen charities, The Archer Project & Roundabout Ltd, we're thrilled to announce a limited edition print: 'Steely Resilience.' 🖤 This piece, featuring the Lord Mayor's illustration of the iconic Women of Steel, celebrates Sheffield's legacy of strength and resilience. The prints are available to buy at Sheffield Cathedral: A Place for All People 1554 gift shop. Profits from every sale will raise money for Archer Project and Roundabout as the Lord Mayor's chosen charities. ❤️ The Women of Steel sculpture, standing proudly at the heart of the city centre, commemorates the strength, resilience and pride of the women who responded to the call to work in the steel factories during the First and Second World Wars. Although dismissed from the factories after each war, the women involved refused to let their impact fade. People experiencing homelessness have to show extraordinary resilience every day. The will to survive the trauma and pain people experience when rejection, disdain, hatred and disgust are routine is remarkable. 💪 'Steely Resilience' is an apt commemoration for the steelworkers of Sheffield and the vulnerable people Archer Project & Roundabout support. #PrintedbyUs #Roundabout