Sheffield has been left shocked after an anonymous letter posted to a local charity shared wishes they would “fail” and the shutters would close.
Ruth Denton, the manager at Kreate on Hutcliffe Wood Road, Beauchief, described “scruffy handwriting” on the letter, addressed solely to “the owner” which caught her eye.
“To the owner. Just a note from neighbourhood watch. Not to welcome you. The opposite. We try not to encourage charity shops round the area or shops selling Blackpool style trinkets.”
“A lot of businesses need by communitys [sic] have failed and I hope yours does too. Another grey painted trendy tak. Soon be countdown for you. Shutters will be permantley [sic] down.”
The letter was signed only as being from “Residents Unite (Bocking Lane)”, a group which appears to have little to no online presence and whose existence could not be verified by The Star.
“It was horrible,” Ruth told The Star, “We put our hearts and souls into making this shop what it is… You don’t want to believe that is what people think.”
Kreate is part of Work Ltd, a local charity supporting adults with learning difficulties. Kreate is a small shop in their new Beauchief location, an expansion on their work in Ringinglow, where they operate the Hidden Gem Cafe.
Ruth, who at 37-years-old has worked for Work Ltd for 10 years, said: “I was quite hurt, but once I read it a few times I found it quite funny.
“Clearly this person knows nothing about us and hasn’t done any research.”
Like the Hidden Gem Cafe, Kreate offers Work Ltd’s students the opportunity to gain real experience. It is one small part of the Beauchief day centre, which will also have a podcast studio and other features for people to benefit from.
Kreate gives the students experience in the retail industry, just as Hidden Gem offers the same for hospitality. Work Ltd’s work is so crucial, the original Ringinglow centre quickly reached capacity – meaning they needed the Beauchief centre in order to avoid being forced to turn people away.
Ruth said: “They don’t just come for something to do. They have friendships, they have relationships here. We are like family to some of the students.”
On Saturday, Ruth posted the letter to Kreate’s Facebook page. It was met with a flurry of kind and supportive comments from locals and more.
“This is just one person,” Ruth added, “I feel like the response has been amazing. People are just thrilled to see the community working. People want to see us thriving and they want their shops back.”
