As winter’s chill bites and Jack Frost well and truly awakes, F Curtis & Son Funeral Directors in Warminster have chosen the charity SHELTER to help with homeless people this winter, especially those sleeping rough on our streets.

Homelessness and the issue of rough sleepers has received a lot of media attention during the last couple of years and the numbers of homeless people and rough sleepers have been highlighted in Warminster and the surrounding areas.  There have been strong opinions expressed by local people at public meetings in support of the plight of those less fortunate than most of us.

Vanessa Fry of F Curtis & Son Funeral Directors said;

“We are determined to do as much as we can to help those who are in real need and have no one else to turn to.  I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to be in a situation where a chain of events have come together resulting in an individual being destitute and at the mercy of the elements.  I was looking out of the window the other day in my snug and warm home watching the world go by. 

I remembered going out recently and donning my warm and comfortable clothes, yet still being taken back by the bitterly cold and biting wind.  It felt as though another beast from the east wanted to wrench every last bit of warmth from the very core of my being.  Then I thought about how lucky most of us are, yes, we can put up with the cold and damp for about 10 or 20 minutes whilst we go out to do some chores, but most of us have got our centrally heated homes and perhaps a roaring fire to return to.  Then my thoughts turned to those for whom the choice of returning to a cosy, loving home and a piping hot drink is not an option.  We are living in one of the world’s richest countries in the 21st century approaching Christmas, a time for giving, sharing and being together, yet there are those who are having to sleep in doorways and under bushes.  I and others find this bizarre that we live in a society today that permits this to happen.  I have to confess that it’s not the easiest of things to get my head around”

“We’ve been thinking about these issues at F Curtis and Son and we’ve decided that we might not be able to change the world overnight, but we can certainly think globally and act locally.  We’ve decided that we’re going to support SHELTER by collecting unwanted clean blankets to help provide some comfort and vital warmth to those who have no real roof over their heads and are exposed to the full force and fury of the bitter cold of winter”

“We know that the people of Warminster and the surrounding area have big hearts – please can you help us to help others”

F Curtis & Sons are opening their doors in Portway to accept any local or postal donations between 9am and 4.30pm Monday-Friday.  Vanessa and the team have also said that they are happy to collect any donations should people not be able to get to their branch.

For more information or if you wish to support the fantastic work that SHELTER does , click here https://england.shelter.org.uk/