“The quality of the entries just takes the biscuit!” said Phil Jones, Lovell’s Head of Land and Partnerships, as he and fellow judges, TV’s George Clarke and Greggs’ CEO Roisin Currie, announced the winners of a new festive gingerbread building competition that took place at The Biscuit Factory on Tuesday (3 December): Gingerbread Street.

The Gingerbread Street competition is the first of its kind in the region, organised by Gateshead-based homelessness charity Oasis Community Housing. Local businesses, groups and schools deployed their best bakers and builders to create gingerbread houses, a school, church and even a skate park. All of the confectionary creations have been displayed alongside each other to make up Gingerbread Street, which will remain on display to visit at The Biscuit Factory until 27 December 2024.

Judges George Clarke, Greggs’ Roisin Currie and Phil Jones from Lovell, who has kindly sponsored the event alongside the Chartered Institute of Building, awarded the Community Champion Award to ‘Callerton Gingerbread Academy’, which was a group effort from Callerton Academy Year 10 Pupils, Space Architects and Morgan Sindall construction services.

Other award winners included: ‘The Courthouse’ by Ben Hoare Bell LLP (small plot); ‘Frank’s Place’ by construction group Bowmer + Kirkland (medium plot); and ‘The Evelyn Project Food Bank & Community Garden’ by Evelyn Partners financial services (large plot).

Gingerbread Street aims to raise awareness of homelessness this Christmas, and the community that is needed to make people feel they have a home. Sarah Lister, CEO of Oasis Community Housing, the charity organising the event, said:

“Ending homelessness is about more than putting a roof over someone’s head. Building community around people is at the heart of what we do, so every individual feels safe and like they belong. We wanted to bring that message to life and so, with a dusting of Christmas spirit, we have Gingerbread Street!

“We are overwhelmed by the level of creativity and commitment given by local businesses, churches and schools, as well as our incredible judges – all enabling us to continue making a life-changing difference for people facing homelessness across the region.”

The homelessness charity in partnership with George Clarke’s own charity, MOBIE (Ministry of Building, Innovation and Education), have delivered a number of school workshops across Newcastle and Gateshead encouraging young people to think about homelessness and to design the kind of shelter that may be helpful for people sleeping on the streets. Out of hundreds of entries, Sonny Abbott from Rowlands Gill Primary School was chosen as the winner for his colourful, uplifting design. Sonny’s design for a homelessness shelter has been made into a life-size model by MOBIE, which is also on display at The Biscuit Factory throughout December.

Anyone visiting Gingerbread Street can vote for their favourite biscuity building using the QR code on the miniature street signs across the exhibition. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced on Oasis Community Housing’s social media channels on 20 December.

Find out more about Oasis Community Housing’s Christmas Appeal >

Oasis Community Housing’s Giving a Home Christmas appeal raises over £120,000 to help the homeless in the North East, Southwark and Peterborough thanks to generous donations.

Individuals, businesses, churches and community groups came together to  raise this incredible amount for Oasis Community Housing who helps more than 1,300 vulnerable men, women and families across the UK every year.

Bring hope not homelessness in 2024 and get involved in one of our events >>>

Making a difference

Incredible generosity throughout the appeal will go a long way in supporting the charity’s work journeying with people out homelessness.

People like Davey, who had his tent burned to the ground while sleeping rough. He found support through the charity’s Basis Gateshead homeless drop-in centre thanks to supporters’ donations: “Rather than being homeless and being unseen, I’m now being seen.”

One donation, twice the impact

The appeal was given a significant boost thanks to the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2023. Matched funding from The Reed Foundation, Meldrum, Lovell, Utilita, Muckle LLP, Karbon Homes, Toomey Legal, Gentoo and Handelsbanken, meant all donations from individuals, community groups and businesses were doubled during the challenge week.

Churches, businesses and Individuals all got behind the appeal, coming together to make a huge difference.

Heroes in the making

‘Giving a Home heroes’ signed up to put their hero skills to the test by promoting and sharing social media content around the appeal to increase awareness. While businesses like Robson Laidler and Smart IT organised Christmas jumper days to raise vital funds to help the homeless.

The Gingerbread house installation, designed by Julia Stafford and created by Handcrafted, brought Christmas cheer to Tesco Extra Trinity Square Gateshead, and The Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland. Huge thank you to volunteers from Leeds Building Society, Newcastle Building Society, Pepperells, NWG, Unite Group and Kier Construction who helped fundraise outside the house.

The Impact of generosity

Carolyn Wood, Director of Programmes at Oasis Community Housing, explained: “The support during the Giving a Home Christmas Appeal was truly incredible, with a total to match.”

“These funds are vital for us to continue to support the most vulnerable people in our communities this year. The generosity of kind, like-minded supporters over the festive period will bring security, warmth, and hope to those experiencing homelessness throughout 2024.”

Over the past year Oasis Community Housing supported people experiencing homelessness, survivors of abuse and those affected by trauma through nearly 30,000 interactions; preventing homelessness on 363 occasions; and people were supported within Oasis Community Housing’s drop-in centres on over 5,278 occasions.

The incredible £120,061 raised during the Giving a Home Christmas appeal will go a long way in supporting more people off the streets, tackling trauma and preventing repeated homelessness.

Huge thank you to everyone who shared our social media posts, promoted the cause and donated during Giving a Home Christmas appeal, its your support brings hope not homelessness.

Find out more about what we do thanks to your support >>>

What does Christmas mean to you? Is it, as the adverts suggest, a time of candlelight and beautifully-cooked meals among loved ones? Or is it a time of tension, struggles, and perhaps loneliness? Having seen Christmas cards and decorations in the shops for three months, by the time that the big day arrives, you may simply be fed up of the whole thing.

However we feel about it, Christmas is in fact the time of most incredible hope, and it’s a particularly hopeful message for the 271,000 families in the UK facing homelessness and the 2,447 people who are sleeping rough.

This is because, in his birth, and in the early years of his life, Christ utterly identifies with the homeless. We have sanitised the idea of a child in a manger, but this is a profound statement of love and identification. The Son of God is born far from his family’s home, under armed occupation, without a roof over his head. His first night on this earth is spent among the animals stabled at an inn at a frantically-busy census season.

This is followed by threat to life. Herod’s troops are on the look out for him – a threat to the established rule – and warned in a dream, his father Joseph moves the whole family to neighbouring Egypt. They become, if you like, early asylum seekers, simply to keep Jesus alive.

God not only cares about the families who are experiencing or facing homelessness in the UK right now, as the cost-of-living crisis mounts, he’s lived it.

As we stop at the end of what may have been a busy, or tiring, year, this is a profound idea to reflect on. God knows. God cares. God has lived it.

This is at the heart of all our work among those living with homelessness. It is the driving force behind wanting to see change in this country, with a system of trauma-informed care becoming nationwide, so that everyone has the chance of recovering from homelessness and never returning to it.

We wish you a very Happy Christmas, and the knowledge that, whatever you are experiencing, God is with you in it.

David Smith, CEO Oasis Community Housing

With more than 300,000 people in England likely to spend Christmas experiencing some form of homelessness, North East businesses have supported the delivery of Christmas lunches for homeless drop-in centres in Gateshead and Sunderland.

Donate to support someone experiencing homelessness this Christmas >>>

Difficult times

Over the past year our Basis homeless drop-ins have been attended nearly 3,600 times. Each visit sees men and women experiencing homelessness supported by our staff as part of our crisis service. The cost-of-living crisis and the fallout from the pandemic has significantly impacted people’s ability to afford necessities like food, with fears that this situation will only get worse over winter.

Alex Laing, Head of Crisis Services, explained that “As the cost of almost everything remains high, so will demand for our services. A considerable percentage of those people who are stuggling, find themselves at risk of falling into homelessness.”

“At Oasis Community Housing we see the worth in everyone. Being able to bring some Christmas cheer to the drop-ins has been incredible. Many of the people we support wouldn’t have enjoyed a Christmas lunch this year if it wasn’t for the wonderful businesses and individuals behind them who have made this possible.”

Volunteer support

A team made up of volunteers from Connected Voice and Muckle LLP supported the lunches in Gateshead whilst volunteers from Kier Construction helped out in Sunderland.

The 40 guests, mostly rough sleepers or those facing a housing crisis, also received gifts including Greggs food vouchers and selection boxes provided by Muckle LLP, Gentoo and Sekura Group. Washington-based Simpson Group kindly donated the Turkey’s for the Christmas lunches too.

Along with the Christmas dinners for our homeless drop-in centres, we will be trying to give individuals and families across our projects in North East England, South London, and Peterborough a Christmas to remember as well.

Gifts and Christmas hampers, many kindly provided by supporters including Cash4Kids and Feeding Families, will be distributed to the people we support. The Peterborough Rotary club have also provided gifts decorations to residents at our Queen Street project In Peterborough that supports families of Ukrainian refugees.

Find out about our Giving a Home Christmas appeal >>>

Oasis Community Housing is taking part in the Big Give to raise £70,000 in just one week to support people facing homelessness this Christmas! The aim is to raise vital funds to support the charity’s year-round work providing crisis intervention, supported housing and a range of other services to help vulnerable men, women and families.

Donate now >>>

‘As we head into a cold winter, we’re all juggling the cost of living crisis – but for some, it will push them over the edge into homelessness. Latest figures already show that rough sleeping is on the rise and we fear things will only get worse,’ explains Hazel Ditchburn, Corporate Relationships Manager, Oasis Community Housing.

‘Our Christmas appeal provides the financial foundation for our next year’s homelessness service meaning every penny donated goes towards making a life-changing difference for the 1,300-plus people who walk through our doors each year.’

Donations to the Giving a Home appeal will be generously matched by a number of local businesses including Meldrum Group, Lovell Partnerships, Utilita, Karbon Homes, Muckle LLP, Toomey Legal, Handelsbanken and Gentoo during the campaign, meaning the money received can support twice as many people facing homelessness.

Dave Meldrum – CEO, Meldrum Group, a North-East based construction services business, said: ‘We are proud to support such a fantastic charity such as Oasis Community Housing and the work they do, giving people the help and support they need to turn their lives around.

‘It is their commitment to not only providing a solution to homelessness by offering accommodation – it is their commitment to tackling the root cause of homelessness in the first place. No-one should ever have to face a future without a home (or without hope) and thanks to Oasis and the amazing work they do, that doesn’t have to be the case.’

Phil Jones, Head of Land and Partnerships at the North East region of leading national housebuilder Lovell Partnerships, said: ‘As a housing developer that creates communities, we understand how important it is to have a ‘home’ – and what this can mean beyond simply having a roof over your head.

‘This time of year is especially difficult for those who are struggling, and we hope our support for the Big Give campaign can help to bolster further donations made towards this fantastic cause that helps so many people in the region.’

Fiona Pallister, National Sales Manager for New Initiatives at Utilita, said: ‘While we can’t control the prices of energy, suppliers like us must throw their full support to vulnerable people during the cost of living crisis.

‘We are always striving to help families, individuals, and community organisations – particularly as the months grow colder – so it’s an honour to play a small part in this incredible initiative. Thank you to Oasis Community Housing for organising something that will make a huge difference to so many.”

How can people maximise their impact this Christmas?

Visit www.givingahome.org.uk/donate-now and make a donation from 28 November – 5 December, during this time all donations will be doubled.

That’s one donation, twice the impact for people experiencing homelessness this Christmas.

The Giving a Home Christmas appeal 2023 is now live!

On Wednesday 1st November we launched our annual Giving a Home Christmas appeal to raise vital funds to support people as they journey out of homelessness this Christmas. The appeal will last until the 31st December.

This year we are taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge which means you can double your donation to our appeal by donating during the challenge week (28 November – 5 December). That means one donation will have twice the impact.

Help us to raise £70k in 7 days during the Big Give Challenge week.

Set up your reminder to double your donation >>>

We would like to say a huge thank you to the businesses and organisations that pledged to match each donation made, including The Reed Foundation and our amazing supporters: Meldrum Group, Toomey Legal, Handelsbanken, Gentoo Group, Lovell Partnerships Ltd, Utilita Energy, Karbon Homes and Muckle LLP

How can your donations make a difference?

Your donations could make a huge difference to lives of people experiencing homelessness. People like Nick, Davey, Abbie and Emma.

Nick carries his whole life on his back. As he walks for miles each day to find a safe place to sleep his legs become more and more weary. Donating just £6.20 could provide someone like Nick with a travel ticket to access one of our homeless drop-in centres.

Davey’s first tent was burned to the ground while he was rough sleeping. A relationship breakdown and the trauma he suffered after losing his son sent Davey into a spiral of homelessness. For Davey, it was one trip to the drop-in that sparked is journey out of homelessness. By donating just £15.11 today you could fund a support session with one of our drop-in staff.

Abbie felt trapped by her abuser. After years of abuse, both emotional and then physical, she needed support. Abbie began to work through her trauma with our Empower domestic abuse team and grew in confidence. By donating £50 you could fund a counselling session for someone like Abbie to work through her trauma.

Family life for Emma was a struggle. An unstable home was traumatic and led to mental health challenges and eventually homelessness followed. While living in one of our supported accommodation projects Emma learned important life skills, marking a significant step in her journey out of homelessness. A donation of £128.50 could provide someone like Emma with a move-in pack of essentials at one of our supported accommodation projects.

How can you get involved?

There so many ways you can get involved supporting people on their journey out of homelessness this Christmas alongisde donating.

Be a Giving a Home Hero – Sign up to be a Giving a Home hero and champion our appeal. Help us help to spread the word, raise awareness and boost donations during the Big Give week. Receive a Hero toolkit with everything you need to get started, including your very own gingerbread teddy, when you sign up today.

Volunteer – Could you spare 3.5 hours of your time to bring hope not homelessness? Each year we have our very own physical gingerbread house outside Tesco Extra trinity Square in Gateshead. We need you to help us fundraise and collect donations outside of the house this Christmas.

Book your slot to volunteer here >>>

Sponsor – Your business could help to build out virtual gingerbread house by sponsoring the appeal. Every £2,000 donated means another gingerbread person will move into the house, representing the rebuilding of another vulnerable life devastated by homelessness.

Whether you volunteer at our gingerbread house, be a Giving a Home hero, or donate during the Big Give week, your actions could help someone journey out of homelessness this Christmas.

Find out all you need to know about the Giving a Home Christmas appeal at https://givingahome.org.uk/