Charlie's on a mission to deliver Christmas hampers to York's homeless

A woman is sitting wrapped in a huddle of blankets in a shop doorway in York city centre.

“Good morning Rebecca!” says the Salvation Army’s Charlie Malarkey cheerfully, walking up to her. “How are you?”

Rebecca stirs, and acknowledges him.

With a flourish, Charlie produces a Christmas hamper in a neat brown bag. “I hope you like chocolate and crisps!” he says.

Rebecca brightens, and starts rooting through the bag.

“That’s nice!” she says.

“There’s a scarf in there too,” Charlie says.

The Salvation Army's Charlie Malarkey presenting rough sleeper Rebecca with her Christmas hamper (Image: Stephen Lewis)

Charlie is on a mission this morning.

The Salvation Army’s funding in York may have been ended by the city council (though The Press understands that talks are still ongoing about some kind of cooperation) – but that doesn’t mean Charlie’s work is done.

For now, his role is being funded by the Sally Army itself.

And – as he has done for years - he is out early in the morning most days of the week, checking on those sleeping rough on York’s streets to make sure they’re OK.

But today, with Christmas just around the corner, he also has hampers of goodies donated by the people of York – including scarfs knitted by local women’s groups – to give out.

Even at this time of the year, the number of people sleeping on York's streets each night still runs into double figures, he says. “I would say there are ten or eleven people sleeping out today.”

Today, the weather isn’t too cold – in fact, it’s mild for the time of year.

But there have been a couple of vicious cold snaps already – and there is some talk of a white Christmas in York.

That might be the romantic ideal for some people – but it is not something that rough sleepers look forward to, Charlie says.

Every morning, when he does his rounds on a really cold winter morning, there’s always that worry at the back of his mind. “What if I find someone frozen?”

Christmas is hard for those living on the streets in another way, too – it can be very lonely.

Many of York’s rough sleepers will get to enjoy a Christmas dinner, courtesy of charity Carecent – which most rough sleepers know affectionately as ‘Care Bears’.

But what about the rest of the time?

For a couple of days, at least, the country shuts down. And while the rest of us are enjoying time with family and loved ones, homeless people can feel left out.

Normally, those sleeping in shop doorways will at least have the bustle of people passing, says Charlie.

“But they won’t even have that over the Christmas period!” he said.

The Salvation Army's Charlie Malarkey preparing to deliver a Christmas hamper to a rough sleeper who lives in a tent just on the edge of York city centre (Image: Stephen Lewis)

So those Christmas hampers – and accompanying Christmas cards, written by York people for rough sleepers as part of a campaign by Radio York – are really important. A reminder that they have not been totally forgotten.

Rebecca, who is 48, has been living on the streets since her mum died a few years ago.

She’s only been in York six weeks – but most of that time she has spent in this doorway.

It’s hard, living on the street, she admits. “It’s just about getting through the day. You just keep going.”

In an hour or so touring the city centre, Charlie hands out nine hampers – some to a group huddled in a doorway in Coney Street.

One of the women, Nicola, reads the card she’s been given, and looks through her hamper.

Then she says, out of nowhere: “If it wasn’t for Charlie, a lot of people wouldn’t be in this world right now.”