The aim of the charity has always been to support families in the local community
Doreen’s Opens In Bransholme
A mother and daughter who set up a charity to support local families have now opened their own hub in the North Point Shopping Centre, providing a warm space for people to go for help and comfort. Sue Steeley and Ashleigh Hirst are passionate about helping vulnerable families in the local area.
In 2023, they had already been helping people in the community for a number of years and decided to give their fundraising an identity, hence the founding of Doreen’s. Doreen was Sue’s mother and Ashleigh’s grandmother. They describe her as a woman who battled her own struggles but was on hand to help wherever she could – and they felt this was an important foundation on which to base their community group.
Doreen’s also stands for ‘Delivering Our Range of Everyday Essential Needs’ and embodies their ethos of helping people in the local community, no matter what people need. Sue explained that through working in a Primary School, she sees many families struggling to make ends meet every single day, and first hand how much it affects the children.
She said: “Doreen’s started during Covid – me and my daughter started it by giving out Easter Eggs to vulnerable children, we carried it on the following year by giving eggs to the whole school, every child, making it an inclusive campaign and it all stemmed from there. We’ve just recently opened a new hub, we have space for our care packages.
“We are opening a unit with pre-loved school uniforms in February, free for people to take. We also have a small charity shop and we have our lovely Warm Space for people to come and have a hot drink and just sit and have a chat.”
Doreen’s offers Care in the Community Packages such as, food parcels, maternity bags, children’s packed lunches, worry worms and pocket hugs, Christmas hampers and Easter Eggs. “We give out care packages to vulnerable families and people in the community.
“We have a small food bank, we have period poverty products, and we have products for our maternity bags, which we give to ladies for when they go into hospital to have their baby.”
With the opening of the Hub, Doreen’s are now also offering a warm space with tables and chairs where people can pop along and have a hot drink and a chat, play a game, knit, draw – whatever they like. It offers affordable prices (50p), in a bid to try to combat isolation and loneliness.
Sue said: “This is one of the things we always dreamed of doing when we first started, to create a warm space for people to come, vulnerable people, lonely people, people who just need to have a chat and talk – and everyone is welcome. You can have a hot drink, a biscuit, a slice of toast, they can stay as long as they want.
“We have a book share shelf, we have a shelf with games. We have a knit-and-natter group which is getting started. There is lots going on and this is what we have always dreamed of doing.”
Speaking of her pride on opening day Sue added: “My heart is full today, I am very proud, We haven’t stopped from 9am this morning, it’s been wonderful, we’ve met so many people. For our opening day, we did a big campaign, fill a bag for a fiver, so from baby clothes right through to adults, men and women’s.”
Mark Burley, Social Value and Partnerships manager from Keepmoat Homes donated £500 through the city wide partnership to enable to Hub to create a ‘Chatty Table’. This will be a table where drinks are free with the proviso that talking and chats must take place.
Mark said: “It’s an idea where people can get a free drink, if they are lonely or isolated they can come in and get a free drink, sit at the table, but when someone else comes and sits they have to chat. It’s a way of breaking that social isolation agenda. I’ve been looking for this opportunity and the right place to do it. We have lots of residents that may be on their own and we are glad we can also support Doreen’s.”
Doreen’s Hub, on Bransholme Market is open Wednesday to Friday 10am-3pm in the North Point Shopping Centre. However, help is still available outside of opening hours via their Facebook page here or their email is doreenshull@gmail.com