On behalf of Impact Living, I would like to extend the very best of the season to our cherished residents, family members, friends, staff, volunteers and all those who support our charitable work.
2020 has been a challenging year for many and has marked a major milestone for Impact Living; the 10th Anniversary of our Wilfred Drive Scheme in Sheffield. We have commemorated this by using a picture on our Christmas card taken of Wilfred Drive during our first year of working there.
Over the past decade, Wilfred Drive has become a much loved and valued asset, not only to the organisation as a whole but also within its local community.
Throughout this time, we have supported many clients to enrol into higher education. We have helped many clients to maintain or improve their mental health and wellbeing and eventually enable them to move into independent accommodation.
This festive period reminds us of the importance of the work we do; reinforcing a sense of community spirit, reaching out to loved ones or those who may be alone at this time of year and to celebrate the season together.
I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the kind donations received and all of your support, particularly throughout this challenging year.
Wishing you a Peaceful and Happy Christmas as well as a New Year rich with blessings.
Nigel Delaney
CEO Impact Living
Wilfred Drive Timeline
Wilfred Drive Before 
Wilfred Drive after 
Wilfred Drive Before 
Wilfred Drive After
- 2009 – 2010; From December 2009, Impact secured a favourable lease for the ex-elderly accommodation unit, Wilfred Drive in Darnall. The accommodation was fully refurbished and started housing its first tenants from the beginning of 2010.
- April 2010 – Liam Widnall became one of the first tenants at Wilfred Drive and has been residing as a valued tenant ever since. To find more about Liam’s progress please click here.
- 2010 – Jake Damms, aged 20 moved into his flat with partner Lisa after being referred by Clic Sargent. Jake had previously been diagnosed with a Soft Tissue Sarcoma and undergone various treatment including Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy. Sadly, after a short period of living with Impact, Jake peacefully passed away in hospital on October 3rd https://www.impactliving.org/2010/09/22/jakes-story/
- December 2013 – The Impact community teamed together to raise funds for a memorable trip to the X Factor final in London for Young Hero Amy Usher https://www.impactliving.org/2013/12/20/impact-young-heroes-christmas-2013-newsletter/
- November 2013 – The start of a new friendship with Catherine Annabell and ‘Inspiration for Life’
Read more about Inspiration for life here…..
- 2017 Community Coffee Afternoon and Christmas meal treat for tenants and neighbours.
- 2018 Valentines Afternoon Tea for the local community.
- August 2020 – Claudiu Tiroi, much loved tenant at Wilfred Drive passed away peacefully after enduring his 4 year battle with Cancer. https://www.impactliving.org/2020/09/22/impact-living-summer-newsletter-2020/
Bring a little Christmas cheer this year!
Join Sharon’s campaign to help Impact Living to buy small gifts, food hampers and Christmas cards for our vulnerable clients this Christmas. Every pound will help us to spread a little Christmas cheer at a time of year that can be difficult for those who need support!
Well Done to Sharon and a massive thanks to all those who donated to her Birthday Fundraiser! Sharon not only managed to reach her Birthday goal but also managed to increase it, raising a total of £260 so far! To continue supporting her campaign, please donate using this link
Sheffield Shoebox Appeal
Impact are so grateful to the Sheffield Shoebox Appeal for once again teaming together to collect and distribute donations for Impact and other charities like Impact:
“Every Christmas, homeless people not only have to deal with the fact that they are homeless as well as other issues, but also have to deal with the “happy” part of the year, sometimes alone.”
Each year, they appeal to the wider community to “give a small gift and a bit of hope to a homeless person in Sheffield.”
They ask that donors decorate a shoebox for either a male or female (adults, teens or elderly) and include items such as:
- Gloves
- Scarves
- Hats
- Socks
- Toothpaste / brush
- Deodorants
- Shower Gel
- Shampoo
- Sweets
- Little treats
and anything else that you can think of – no alcohol please.
They also ask that donors include a Christmas Card in each box.
All the boxes are then collected or dropped off to a drop off point around the city, sorted and checked and then sent out to one of dozens of providers who help people affected by homelessness in Sheffield before Christmas Day.
To get involved for similar appeals next year, please follow their Facebook Page ‘Sheffield Shoebox Appeal’
Welcome to the Team!
We wish to welcome Haitham and Jim to the Security Team! Between them, they have an array of experience, which will help to improve the safety of all of Impact’s premises.
24 Reasons to be Cheerful!
https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/24-reasons-to-be-cheerful
We wish to say a huge Thank You to Inspiration for Life who are fundraising for Impact once again!
Each year Inspiration for Life organise the event 24 Hour Inspire, which would usually take place at Sheffield University.
Sadly, due to COVID they couldn’t run a 24-hour lecturethon on campus this year. However, Fear not! As Inspiration for Life are raising funds this Christmas with their own Charity Advent Calendar. Loads of videos from colleagues and friends to inspire you, make you laugh, dance and possibly cry, but all-in aid of great causes.
To check out and share some of the videos to your social media, follow the link below:
https://create.piktochart.com/output/50971507-24-reasons-to-be-cheerful-advent-calendar-2020
And to see some of Impact’s special features, click here:
Crofton Court
The development team have been putting all of their efforts toward completing the next phase of the Crofton Court flat conversions and refurbishments. Once complete, 13 clients being discharged from hospital and requiring extra care for their mental health needs, will be able to settle into their new homes just in time for Christmas and the New Year.
The development team have also created more car park space within the grounds to enable easier access for family, social care workers, district nurses, care coordinators and the onsite housing support team.
Covid-19 Antibody Testing
Within the last couple of months, as frontline health and social care workers, all staff were invited to book 10-minute time slots to access the Antibody test at St Luke’s Hospital. It was anticipated that the Antibody test would provide us an indication of how many of us within the organisation have been living with the Covid virus with the aim to continue to safeguard those who haven’t had the virus going forward; to protect and shield themselves from the second wave during the winter months.
It is great news that there is now a vaccine being rolled out over the next few weeks or even days!
It’s extremely heartening to see scientists, microbiologists and chemists finding solutions to international problems. Their dedication is deeply appreciated and highly impressive! We now wait for the notification to attend our vaccination to play our part in protecting those most vulnerable groups we may come into contact with on a daily basis.
NATE Service; ‘Needs Assessment and Therapy Evaluation Service’
We are seeking funding to enhance our existing support programme to offer an in-house, mental health ‘Needs Assessment and Therapies Evaluation Service’ to address the complex needs of our current beneficiaries and new referrals in a holistic and integrated way.
Initially taking place over a two-year period, we aim to employ a full-time ‘Support Assessor-Evaluator’ to lead the project; a mental health professional with extensive experience of working in a variety of mental health settings. We will be looking for someone who specialises in complex mental health issues, childhood trauma and addiction, including dual diagnosis.
Their role will be to fully assess our current beneficiaries and any new referrals, assessing any risks and identifying all support and care needs. Following detailed consultations with each individual, they will provide a comprehensive mental health and support assessment, proposing, coordinating and evaluating interventions and a therapy schedule to best meet each individual’s needs in a holistic and integrated way.
This will include referring beneficiaries to our in-house Creative Therapies Programme, which will provide one-to-one support sessions, weekly peer workshops and virtual and other exhibitions held to showcase art and raise awareness. This will work in combination with other health and wellbeing activities and tailored therapy strategies for those experiencing difficulties in communication skills, to identify and address any underlying difficulties, using therapy/support strategies to improve communication skills, as well as skills in self-advocacy, self-confidence and ability to make and maintain healthy relationships. The project will support those who have found it difficult accessing public sector services, have slipped through the net and not been able to get the right mental health care needed through other means. It will particularly aim to reach those who are in need of critical support, such as individuals in mental health crisis, those with substance misuse and alcohol issues, including those with dual diagnosis and those being discharged from psychiatric units. The project aims to provide early intervention, reducing hospital admissions and helping to relieve the current strain on local mental health teams.
Clyde Watson
November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.