Kind hearted kids help Calderdale SmartMove

Milly and Ava-May, both aged 11, and seven-year-old Archie were inspired to do their bit after SmartMove came to their school, to do a talk on homelessness.

SmartMove supports homeless and vulnerably housed people, by helping them find suitable accommodation. They also provide them with the support and resources they need in order to live independently. 96% of their service users are still in accommodation twelve months after receiving help.

Archie and Ava-May's mum Kerry Robinson, said: "In the past, the kids have done a lot of fundraising for charities like Overgate Hospice and Cancer Research, but they really wanted to do something for SmartMove."

The St Chad's students orgnaised a 7mile sponsored walk, raising £105. The money was then spent on resources for SmartMove's clients. The group dropped off bags of food, socks, gloves, hats and other essential items.

Kerry says that the project has helped the children understand homelessness, whilst also building their confidence.

"The kids were really conscious of what they were buying with the sponsorship money and kept saying ‘I hope it makes a difference’.

"They don’t see homelessness very often and it can be a difficult topic to talk about. By having this involvement with SmartMove they’re able to understand and start talking about it which is brilliant.

"It’s been a great experience for them. They’ve shown kindness to others and they feel so good about themselves knowing that they have helped others."

Beth Currie, Fundraising and Marketing Manager for Calderdale SmartMove said: "We just want to say a huge thank you for the amazing efforts made by these young people. The things they’ve bought are absolutely brilliant for our clients and such thought has gone into everything. We’re so grateful and it’s truly wonderful to see such empathy in Milly, Ava May and Archie.

"They came for a look around our offices and to learn a bit more about the people they have been supporting in their fundraising. Their questions were thoughtful, intelligent and heartfelt and it’s just lovely to see such care."

According to Shelter, there are nearly 280,000 people registered as homeless in the UK, 126,000 of which are children.

In 2018, 726 homeless people died, meaning that the number of deaths amongst homeless people has increased by 51% in the last six years.