Leeds charity Homeless Street Angels release Christmas single to raise funds and spread a message of hope

All can be seen in footage capturing the efforts of the Leeds-based Homeless Street Angels, a charity helping those sleeping rough on the city’s streets. Accompanying lyrics have been heartfeltly crafted by some of those involved in the organisation. “There are angels on earth,” the song goes, “they are right by your side”.

Angels on Earth was released last week as a Christmas single to raise funds for the charity and highlight the work that it does to help some of Leeds’s most vulnerable people. The message, says co-founder and director Becky Joyce, is not to give up hope. “We’re always there, we’re there to help, we’re there to care,” she says.

“It’s also about showing a bit of empathy at Christmas,” adds twin sister and fellow co-founder Shelley. “A lot of people have nice warm homes, a big family and it’s a time to celebrate and be happy. A lot of our guys on the streets, yes there’s a community spirit amongst them all, but it’s a very lonely time, a very scary time, and I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”

This year is a particularly tough one for the charity too. In the past few months, the sisters have noticed a significant drop in the number of donations to Homeless Street Angels and the income that has been generated at fundraising events has been less than seen before. "People are struggling [in the cost-of-living crisis] so it’s not a surprise really,” says Shelley. But the need for support has tripled, Becky says. “And we’re seeing a lot more women and a lot more younger people out.”

“We have always worked really closely with other services and we’re noticing that they are restricted in what they can give now,” Shelley explains. “There are more and more people reaching out for help but less to be offered. The money is running out everywhere. We’re getting called 24 hours a days with people asking for help and we’re hitting a brick wall...The resources aren’t what they used to be.”

The sisters established Homeless Street Angels in 2016, sparked by Becky taking children out one Christmas Eve to give goody bags to homeless people who were sleeping rough. “It was heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time and I thought more could be done,” she recalls.

From there, she and Shelley formed a group of volunteers who began weekly outreach sessions on the streets of Leeds, and the organisation grew further in memory of their beloved sister Abi, who suffered difficult times and died at the age of 39 in 2017.

Two years later, Homeless Street Angels was officially granted charity status and it now has a core team of 50 volunteers. Each Thursday evening, members distribute hot and cold food, clean toiletries and more to those on the streets of Leeds city centre. The charity also provides support with household items and life skills development to people who have been rehoused and it runs a food bank, offering parcels to more than 500 families. All this, of course, costs money.

“It’s just grown and grown and we’re very lucky to have the team and volunteers we have,” Shelley says. “It’s just non-stop. But we’re not government funded so we have to think of unique ways to raise income so that we can keep doing this. We did wing walking in March, stood on the wing of an aeroplane, Becky’s jumped out of a plane and has done shark diving. This charity single was another idea.”

“I’m obsessed with Christmas," Becky chips in. “My house looks like a Santa’s grotto. [Christmas] is family, it’s coming together, and for those on the street, we’re the closest thing to family they’ve got.”

Back in May, Becky and charity supporter Clare Brooke, one of the lead singers on the track, set to work on the single, exchanging lyric ideas and song clips at all hours of the day and night.

Musician and producer Mark Walker, who has worked with the likes of The Jacksons, Simply Red, Beverley Knight and Westlife, came on board as musical director and Jonathan Ansell, who starred on The X Factor as part of vocal group G4, joined Clare as a lead vocalist on the single.

They’re joined by a choir made up of singers Sarah Lunt, Lisanse Changwe, Melody Reed and Sondelle Whitaker, whilst the music video for the track shows the Homeless Street Angels in action in Leeds. "I cry every time I watch it. It’s so emotional,” Shelley says.

As well as spreading a message of hope and urging people to show empathy this Christmas, it is hoped the single will raise awareness of the charity and what it does – and generate some much-needed cash. Becky explains that the cost of Thursday outreach sessions doubles from around £1,500 to £3,000 per week through winter, with additional supplies such as warm clothing, handed out.

The charity also needs to cover the cost of food parcels over the festive period and any further cash is being put towards plans to open a new base, a day centre called Abi House in memory of their sister, with more office and storage space.

"When Abi died, [Becky and I] spent every minute together and didn’t do anything on our own,” Shelley says. “We literally threw ourselves into building this charity... It kept us going, helped us through the grieving process. We couldn’t help Abi but at least we could try to help somebody else.”

“And we have,” Becky says. “We’ve saved so many lives, we’ve helped to get people off the streets into normal lifestyles and we’ve supported them in their properties so they know how to live.”

To download Angels on Earth or donate to the charity, visit homelessstreetangels.co.uk