Spireites donate winter coats to homeless people in Chesterfield

Club kit man, Jason Baker, said: “I thought it would be nice if the coats could be put to good use and help people in the local community.

“I spoke to Keith Jackson from the Chesterfield FC Community Trust who contacted Pathways and arranged for the coats to be handed over to them.

“The work being done by the organisation is very important and it’s pleasing to know that the club can help them in this way.”

Matilda Towndrow, volunteer and activities co-ordinator at Pathways, said: “The coats will be nice and warm for the winter and it’s really nice and generous of the club to donate them.

“Often, homeless people can feel pushed out by other members of society, but people do have a genuine interest in homeless people.”

Pathways aims to prevent homelessness. The mission is to eradicate rough sleeping in the community and to support those without a permanent home to obtain and maintain one.

Pathways is a centre that is a place of acceptance, empowerment and change where clients will be given the help, skills and the confidence to resolve their issues of homelessness.

It aims to provide a safe, welcoming and non-judgemental environment that will strive to provide both immediate short term responses to basic needs and long term solutions to more deep rooted problems.

On a basic level Pathways will continue to be a place of social contact and shelter, with services such as food provision, emergency clothing and bedding if required.

Beyond this it plans to be a place where support staff trained with specialist knowledge and its resident trained nurse can deliver an effective service of constructive and beneficial interventions at the right time and at the client’s pace. Through these interventions Pathways hopes to provide a catalyst for change and break the cycle of homelessness and as an organisation it recognises that it must commit to a process of continual planning and adaptation of its service to meet clients’ needs.