In every major town and city there is someone sleeping rough.

By day, town centre shops and businesses are bustling with commercial activity. But when night falls the shop doorways provide shelter for those who have spent their day scraping an existence, enticing passers-by to throw cash in to a cap.

It's a sorry existence for those who find themselves on the streets - for whatever reason or circumstance - but a newly-launched project in Bradford is bringing help and hope.

City Lights, launched in January, is a fantastic example of Bradford's churches working together for the benefit of the communities they serve. What sets this project apart from the rest is it's based around a double-decker yellow bus. The words "If You Want To Know More Step On Board" emblazoned along the back of the vehicle reveal that this is not your conventional passenger transport.

Every Sunday evening the Big Yellow Bus wends its way through the city to park up in front of City Hall on Centenary Square.

A photograph of the bus illuminated by streetlights against the impressive backdrop of Bradford's architectural gem is among a gallery of photographs on a promotional DVD. It's an emotive image but the reason behind the bus are even more so.

Sally Pulleyn, a 28-year-old budding documentary maker from Bradford who helped to produce the DVD, comes from a community work background. One of her previous attachments was with Team Challenge, a Christian outreach organisation providing help and support to young people with addictions.

For years the organisation used the Big Yellow Bus to deliver its outreach work around Leeds. When Sally found out the double-decker was up for sale she longed to buy it for City Lights, helping the homeless and lonely in the city and across the district.

City Lights is currently supported by a multi-denominational group within the city; Sally's church, St John's, East Bowling; the Sunbridge Road Mission; St Pio Friary, Westgate, Bradford; and Holme Church, Holme Wood. Funding mainly comes through sponsorship.

Sally is currently in the throes of swimming the equivalent of the English Channel - she's covering 22 miles over eight weeks at her local swimming baths! She was also instrumental in organising a charity gig pooling the talents of musicians and singers from local homeless and addiction support organisations within the city. Sponsored hair waxing and walking were also among the endless list of fundraising stints she's been involved with.

Sally got the double-decker bus by chance. She got chatting to 17-year-old Sam Kirkby, who won a citizenship award for his care and community work on Holme Wood estate, where he lives, and Holme Church. He is also the co-ordinator for the Big Yellow Bus, the former Team Challenge transport which Sally discovered Holme Church had bought!

Sam's quest was to seek community organisations to use the bus. City Lights provided the perfect opportunity. Predominantly it is a project helping the homeless, but not exclusively. Some of the 50 or so who turn out for a warm meal on a Sunday evening are lonely and feel isolated. Shelter and company for a couple of hours is what the Big Yellow Bus is about. It's not an advisory service, although if people with drug and alcohol problems want specific help, it can be provided.

Initially the project was launched as a pilot on Homelessness Sunday, January 28. "A lot of churches do something about homelessness on that day. It's more about raising awareness in churches but we wanted to do something more practical," explains Sally.

Since she was 16 Sally has had a particular yearning to help the homeless. "As a Christian I can't walk past these people on the street and do nothing," she says. "Homeless is everywhere."

Over the years she has worked as volunteer for various organisations. As well as doing youth work with her own church, St John's in Bradford, she also works part-time for Bradford Cyrenians, a project helping homeless men in the city.

She sees the Big Yellow Bus project as a creative way of including those who feel socially excluded. Street pastors from local churches are also on hand to chat to or provide help and support.

"Between 50 and 60 people turn up every week. It's not just about food," says Mark Woodhouse, minister of Holme Church.

He refers to the guitar strumming that goes on among the banter on board the bus, the serving of quality home-cooked food and the friends that are made in the two hours the bus is parked in Centenary Square. He says one of the most "phenomenal things" was when someone gave the project some flowers left over from a wedding at St John's Chuch.

"Each of the women who came on the bus were given a rose. Some of them were in tears because they'd hadn't received flowers for years," says Mark.

The project has inspired people who have felt suicidal to return to the bus the following week. "We want to make it clear there are lots of other churches and organisations doing things as well and they do it all week long but the reason this is different is because not much is going on at weekends," says Sally.

She says Sunday, particularly if you're on your own or struggling to beat a drug addiction, can be the most challenging day. Mark says: "You can put things on all week then over the weekend often there's nothing to engage with and it's a really lonely time. Twenty or 30 years ago families were living locally so you could go for dinner."

Also, many of the organisations offering support during the week are closed at the weekend.

That is one of the many reasons why the Big Yellow Bus has become a valuable service for Bradford, but it needs constant support.

According to Mark and Sally, it costs around £100 per week to feed the amount of people they are currently serving. "It's the Big Yellow Bus, it's bright, it's happy," says Mark. "We have acoustic guitar sets, we serve good quality and healthy food. It's not just soup and sandwiches, it's a bit of value."

In the long term, they hope other organisations will use the bus. Sally says they are looking at a creative arts focus to inspire people who may be harbouring a hidden talent. "We believe it's a really good tool in terms of inspiring people," says Sally.

"And it's a real privilege to meet these people because they will share their time with us and we can learn so much from them."

Says Sam: "Part of the Faith is to look after people and treat them as you would want to be treated. It's making a difference."

  • For more information about the Big Yellow Bus call (01274) 689306.