The couple from Cornwall who have dedicated their lives to helping those in need
They have been working to help those at risk of sleeping on the streets
Dave and Debbie Delara were close to the end of a busy day in their shop where they help those less fortunate than themselves when a taxi pulled up outside.
Out of the car came a young lady who was facing the very real prospect of having to spend the night sleeping rough.
However, just a few hours later she was able to sleep soundly and safely in accommodation thanks to the kindness of the Delaras and the help of Cornwall Council.
The episode on Friday evening was not entirely typical for the couple but it was a good example of how they have been working to help those at risk of sleeping on the streets.
They opened their shop Daisy Dukes in the middle of St Austell in 2018 having previously found themselves homeless.
After a challenging time in Chester the couple and their children moved to Cornwall where they hoped to start afresh.
They originally opened a bookshop in Bodmin but after that fell on hard times they decided to turn their attention to St Austell where they had decided to make their home.
Daisy Dukes was initially set up as somewhere people could sell their unwanted items which the couple could then sell on.
But very quickly Dave found that people coming into the shop were doing so as they were struggling to pay their bills.
“We kept having people coming in, asking to sell something as they had no money to pay for gas or electric. It grew from there,” he explained.
Today the couple have set up Daisy Dukes as a Community Interest Company (CIC) so that it can continue the work it now concentrates on – helping those in need.
This ranges from everything from providing tents and sleeping bags to rough sleepers, to giving them clothes and now operating a community larder to help those unable to put food on the table.
In the last month Dave says the couple have helped more than 100 people who have turned up seeking support.
As well as the practical help Daisy Dukes has become something of an advocate for those unable to access the help and support they need.
Dave explained that they will fill out the forms needed to be provided to the relevant authorities to get the help that people desperately need.
“We will get people coming here who have nowhere else to go – we will contact the relevant authorities for them to see if we can get them somewhere. If we can’t help them we get them a tent and a sleeping bag.”
Since Debbie posted details of how they helped the young girl on Friday they have been inundated with praise and support from people in St Austell.
The couple are keen to trace the taxi driver who dropped the girl off at Daisy Dukes, Dave said: “We don’t know who it was but believe it was a female taxi driver. We would like her to have some credit as well, if it wasn’t for her the young lady would have been on the street.”
But Dave says that was not the only person they helped last weekend, he explains that they had also assisted a young person who was transitioning along with two other men who needed help.
He said in almost every case they were able to liaise with the council to ensure that they were safely accommodated.
Dave said that their support does not end there: “When they are in accommodation – which is usually temporary – we will keep in contact with them, we will make sure they have food and household goods they might need and ensure they are safe.
“We continue to do that until they are able to move somewhere more permanent and then we leave them to themselves. Obviously if they still want to stay in touch, which they often do, then we are more than happy to do so.”
Dave admits that he and his wife never imagined they would create a social enterprise which is helping so many people but says that they are glad to be able to help.
And he says that during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown they have found that there are more people than ever needing their help.
He said: “It wasn’t a path that we wanted to go down, but just before the first lockdown we decided to become a CIC so we could help our community – then lockdown happened and everything closed. Everything which provided help closed.
“We then got phone calls asking us to help homeless people who had been accommodated during the lockdown. We went out taking food parcels to all those who had been given somewhere to stay.
“The homeless people we came into contact with were in an awful state – their clothes were hanging off them, they weren’t in very good condition.
“So, we gave out clothes parcels to people as well as the food to ensure these people were OK. They were in the worst possible condition when we saw them.”
With other charity shops in the town closed due to lockdown Daisy Dukes soon started to see a big increase in donations of clothes and items being made to them.
Dave said: “We were sorting all these clothes – we keep some in the shop so we can sell them to raise funds and then we keep some so that we can give them to people who need them. Any clothes which are unusable we then recycle.”
With the food parcels Dave has managed to form links with local supermarkets including Aldi, Lidl and Tesco which provide food which would otherwise have gone to waste.
This is then offered to people who need it along with a number of donations of food which are provided by the local community.
Some local care homes have also started to provide leftover food which can be distributed to those in need.
The local Tesco Express also raised £200 for Daisy Dukes and also provided new underwear which they distribute to the homeless.
Dave said: “It is things like that which most of us take for granted – getting clean underwear is difficult for some people so we make sure we have a ready supply to give out.”
But while the lockdown has amplified the problems and challenges facing people homelessness was an issue before the pandemic struck.
Dave said: “My wife and I would go out and look for homeless people in St Austell and see what they needed and how we could help.
“It totally surprised me, it opened my eyes to what is happening here. We like to help as many people as we can. Anyone can come into our shop and we will try and help them.
“It was heartbreaking at times to see how people were struggling so much just for basic things. We just wanted to help.”
Having now lived in Cornwall for seven years Dave said the family was grateful for how Cornwall had helped them and wanted to give something back.
Just before last Christmas Dave explained that an elderly gentleman had come into the shop looking for help.
“He was just talking to us about his situation and broke down in tears, it pulled at my heartstrings and it just made me determined to help as many people as we can.
“It just gives me tremendous feeling when I know we have been able to help people. We started with just me, my wife and my son but now we have volunteers who also work with us.
“They are able to do some of the things so we are able to spend time talking to people, learning about their situation and seeing what can be done to help.”
Before lockdown they would see around five people a day coming in for help – during the last lockdown that increased to 22 people a day seeking support.
“There is, unfortunately, an increase in people being homeless because of Covid. There has been an increase of people being furloughed and not being able to afford the basics.”
Daisy Dukes are now working in tandem with Cornwall Council and organisations like Harbour Housing to provide as much support as possible to homeless people and those in need in St Austell.
Both Dave and Debbie are looking to continue helping others and have been boosted by a £500 grant from St Austell Town Council.
But they still need donations and, in particular, would like to receive tins of meat such as corned beef and Spam to use in their food parcels.
Any donations can be delivered to the Daisy Duke shop in Duke Street, St Austell.
For now the couple want to continue helping St Austell.
Dave said: “It is a great town, I love St Austell, my wife loves St Austell, my kids love St Austell. It has given us so many opportunities and improved our quality of life, I want to give something back to my community and more.
“We don’t judge anyone who comes in here. We have a cheerful atmosphere here and I think that is what makes people feel safe. We talk to them like friends and that helps them to come out of their shell and they feel able to share their problems with us so we can try and help them.
“We have grown people come in here and breakdown because they know someone is there for them and willing to listen and help.”