Tuesday 1 December 2015

Crisis At Christmas - Drop Off Points

Crisis Skylight Newcastle
christmas.newcastle@crisis.org.uk
City Road
Newcastle
NE1 2AF
website - here 


Northumbria University
Northumbria Students' Union
2, Sandyford Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8SB
http://www.mynsu.co.uk/


Cool Designs Ltd
Unit 8 North Hylton Enterprise Park
Hepworth Rd
Sunderland
SR5 3JT
website - here


The Chiropractic Clinic – Ashington
196 Milburn Road
Ashington
NE63 0PH          
website - here


The Chiropractic Clinic – South Shields
8 Coronation Street
South Shields
NE33 1AZ
website - here


De Niros Barbers
Silkworth Lane
Silkworth Road
East Herrington
Sunderland
SR3 3PP
Facebook Page 


Treacle Wool
Treacle Wool
2 Chantry Place
Morpeth
www.treaclewoolshop.co.uk/


Newcastle University
Newcastle University Medical School
Cookson Building
Framlington Place
website - here

Durham Student Union
Dunelm House
New Elvet
Durham
DH1 3AN
www.durhamsu.com

Friday 13 November 2015

Crisis At Christmas Wish List 2015

This year Crisis at Christmas in Newcastle will welcome over 300 guests who are homeless, lonely or otherwise isolated to our Christmas Day and Boxing Day event.

Please help us in your shopping today by purchasing an extra item in store from the list below.  Once we receive all the donations our guests make up their own gift box (of approximately 10 items) to ensure everybody can get food / gifts appropriate to their needs and tastes.
*Left over items will be donated to a local charitable organisation supporting people in food poverty.


Food

A range of non-perishable products including suitable for diabetics, gluten free, vegan etc:
Crisps and snacks
Nuts
Dried fruit
Tinned / Cuppa soup
Baked Beans
Tinned vegetables / Powdered potato
Tinned fish / ham / chicken
Tins of fruit
Pasta
Cereal / Energy bars
Healthy snacks
Biscuits
Chocolate / Boxes of chocolates
Soft drinks / Squash (plastic bottles / cartons)
Hot chocolate powder
Tea bags
Instant coffee
Black bin-bags

Clothing:

Men’s and Women’s
Good quality pre-loved or new only
Shoes / Trainers
New socks & Underwear
Coats / Fleeces
Jumpers
Tracksuit bottoms
Trousers / Leggings
T-Shirts / Sweatshirts
Hats / Gloves / Scarves

Toiletries 
A range suitable for different skin types (sensitive / dry etc.) but no aerosols or alcohol based products:
Roll on deodorant
Bars of soap
Flannels
Shower gel
Toothbrush / Toothpaste
Face wash
Face / Hand wipes

Christmas gifts
Ideas include but are not limited to:
Wallets / Purses
Hats / Scarves / Gloves
Pans / plates, bowls and cups
Cooking spoons
Stationary: mini diaries / notebooks / pens
Fleecy blankets
Bath gift sets
Thermos flask
Battery powered radios
Chocolates (including for diabetics)
Tins of Biscuits
Batteries
Watches
Torches
Backpacks

Crisis Skylight NewcastleCity House
1 City Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 2AF

Email: enquiries.newcastle@crisis.org.uk 

Tel: 0191 222 0622


Wednesday 14 October 2015

Winter Coats Amnesty Update October 2015

As you may have already seen we have decided not to run a WCA campaign this year. This decision has been taken after much deliberation and in truth with a bit of a heavy heart but for all the right reasons.

Some of you might remember the reason we set up WCA was due to the fact Crisis (Newcastle) had lost their main source of clothing for Crisis at Christmas and with the help and support of a few individuals Winter Coats Amnesty was born in October 2011.

WCA has grown year on year due to your support and kindness to the point last year we received somewhere in the region of 7 tonnes of donations! It’s very hard to visualise that amount of clothes however I can assure you it’s about the size of a small mountain!

When we started WCA it was the only source of (free) warm clothing for the guests of Crisis but the emergence of numerous food banks (a sad reflection of where our society is at the moment) and other organisations has meant that there are more options for people in need of clothing at any time of the year. Surplus donations from WCA  have been going to a City Centre food bank for the last 3 years which inspired them to run a clothes bank alongside their food bank and I guess this has to be seen as part of the legacy of WCA.

We have always thought WCA would have been better if it was accessible from October or November onward rather than just for a couple of days in December but the limitation of storage and time have meant this is not something we could commit to. We approached a local charity this year who we thought would have been a great delivery partner but sadly this came to nothing.

This decision has been made after discussing the situation with Crisis and with their full support. You can still make donations direct to Crisis in Newcastle and we will soon publish a list of items they require as they have a very long list to make Crisis at Christmas a success. If you still want to get involved with making donations to Crisis then the contact details are here, however due to restrictions of storage they won’t be able to accept donations until December.

We are not saying that this is the end for WCA far from it, we are taking a year out to reflect, evaluate and redesign WCA. We are confident that the guests of Crisis are getting the support they need and you can still be part of this and we will let you know how when we have that information.

Thank you for all your support.

Andy Brown & Claire Paczko