Walk and Talk 2026: Taking Support Beyond Our Doors - 28/09/2026
A guest blog from the CEO of The Sunday Centre, Kelly Lingard
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For many charities, August is an opportunity to pause, recharge and prepare for the months ahead. For The Sunday Centre, however, it is also a reminder that homelessness does not take a summer break.
Whilst our weekly Sunday sessions close during August, the needs of those we support continue.
That is why, for the second consecutive year, volunteers from The Sunday Centre stepped out onto the streets of Sheffield as part of our Walk and Talk outreach initiative, ensuring that practical support, friendly conversation and a compassionate presence remained available throughout the summer.
Every Sunday during August, teams of volunteers walked routes across Sheffield city centre carrying food, drinks and essential supplies. The aim was simple: to meet people where they were, provide immediate support and maintain connections with some of the city's most vulnerable residents whilst our usual service was closed.
The response from volunteers was once again incredible.
Over the course of the month, volunteers distributed 194 meal deals at a cost of approximately £672, reaching people across Sheffield city centre, including around Fargate, The Moor, Castlegate, Division Street, Sheffield Railway Station and areas surrounding local support services. What began as a practical effort to ensure nobody was left without support quickly became much more than a food distribution programme.
At the heart of Walk and Talk is conversation.
Volunteers spent time speaking with people, listening to their experiences and checking on their wellbeing. Some conversations were brief exchanges over a sandwich and a drink. Others became longer discussions about housing, health, loneliness and the challenges people were facing. Time and again, volunteers reported that people were genuinely grateful not only for the food provided but for the opportunity to talk to somebody who cared enough to stop and listen.
The initiative also provided valuable insight into the changing needs across Sheffield. Volunteers identified new locations where support was needed, discovered areas that were becoming regular meeting points for vulnerable individuals and helped signpost people towards local services and sources of assistance. These conversations and observations help The Sunday Centre better understand how we can continue adapting our support to meet changing circumstances.
One of the most encouraging aspects of this year's outreach was the enthusiasm and dedication shown by volunteers. Week after week, people gave up their Sunday afternoons to walk the city, carry supplies and engage with those they met. Volunteers often went beyond their planned routes, checking additional locations known to them and ensuring support reached as many people as possible.
The smaller walking teams introduced this year were particularly successful. They allowed volunteers to cover more ground, engage more naturally with people and create a welcoming and approachable presence throughout the city centre. Feedback from volunteers consistently highlighted the benefits of this approach and the positive impact it had on both the outreach teams and those they supported.
Perhaps the greatest success of Walk and Talk 2026 was the sense of connection it created. Although The Sunday Centre's building was closed, our community remained active. Volunteers continued to demonstrate the kindness, generosity and compassion that sit at the centre of everything we do, ensuring that people experiencing homelessness and hardship knew they had not been forgotten.
As Chair of The Sunday Centre, I am enormously proud of what was achieved throughout August. The initiative demonstrated that with dedicated volunteers, a modest budget and a shared commitment to helping others, a significant impact can be made.
Most importantly, Walk and Talk reinforced a simple but powerful message: support does not always require four walls and a roof. Sometimes it begins with a walk, a conversation and a willingness to meet people where they are.
A heartfelt thank you goes to every volunteer who participated, helped organise supplies, coordinated routes or supported the initiative behind the scenes. Walk and Talk 2026 was a tremendous success because of your commitment and generosity.
We look forward to building on that success in the years ahead as we continue working to support people experiencing homelessness and hardship across Sheffield.
Kelly Lingard
Chair of The Sunday Centre
The Sunday Centre provides friendship, food and practical support to people experiencing homelessness, loneliness and hardship in Sheffield. If you would like to volunteer, partner with us or support our work through a donation, please get in touch at sundaycentre@hotmail.co.uk. Together, we can continue making a difference in our community.