GoFundMe page raises more than £10,000 for Citizens Advice after Sunderland office destroyed during disorder
A member of a charity group which was devastated by a suspected arson attack in 2023 has set up a GoFundMe page to raise vital funds for Citizens Advice Sunderland after their office was reportedly attacked and set on fire during Friday’s disorder.
Sunderland Area Parent Support (SAPS), which helps vulnerable people fleeing domestic abuse and living with poverty, saw their premises in Silksworth Gardens “completely gutted” after a fire in February last year. The charity launched its own GoFundMe page to help them get back on their feet and after seeing the devastation caused to Citizens Advice Sunderland, SAPS safeguarding officer Sharyn Smiles felt compelled to do something to help.
Sharon said: “Like ourselves, Citizens Advice support some of the city’s most vulnerable people and we often refer some of our clients to them - they can provide lifechanging advice.
“I was on holiday when it (the disorder) all happened. I’ve a friend who lives in the city centre who got in touch and told me what was happening - she was terrified.
“I’m Sunderland born and bred and when I got up the next morning and saw on the news what had happened, I was horrified.
“I saw the damage caused to the Citizens Advice office. My grandmother used to volunteer for them. They support some of the city’s most vulnerable people and I just felt I needed to do something to help.”
Compelled from her own first-hand experience of the devastation of the impact of a fire, Sharyn decided to set up a GoFundMe page.
She said: “I was absolutely devastated when it happened to us. It’s 18 months on and we are still not back in the building which was destroyed by the fire - I know the devastating impact this can have.
“I know from working in this field that you need access to your records. Many of these were destroyed in the fire and even now we will go to find something and can’t get it due to the blaze.”
After setting up the GoFundMe page, the cause has already received a whopping £10,835 of donations, smashing the original target of £2,000.
Sharyn said: “I think this response shows the true light of the vast majority of people in Sunderland which is a friendly place with a strong sense of community where people pull together.”
Speaking to the Echo on Saturday morning (August 3), Citizens Advice Sunderland’s chief officer Denise Irving confirmed their crisis advice office was “completely burnt out” and that she didn’t know “where we are going to be on Monday and whether we will be able to operate”.
It has now been confirmed that the Citizens Advice office has temporarily relocated to City Hall on Plater Way.
Donations can still be made to the GoFundMe page with Sharyn hoping to raise “as much money as possible”.