How this giant gingerbread house in the centre of Cardiff is supporting homeless people this Christmas

Prepare for your social media feeds to be filled with photos of a giant gingerbread house this festive season.

It appeared outside Cardiff Central Library last Friday and is already proving a hit with visitors keen to get a snap of the festive creation, which features scented smoke bellowing from the chimney and decorations of icing, candy canes and sweets.

But, as we discovered when we headed into town over the weekend, the house is about more than just a photo opportunity. The #GingerbreadMum campaign is also raising money to help reduce homelessness in Cardiff.

The windows of the house contain interactive donation points which enable members of the public to simply tap their phone on the window or scan a QR code to make an online donation to the GiveDIFFerently fund.

Launched earlier this year Give DIFFerently is a fundraising partnership between FOR Cardiff, The Big Issue Cymru, Cardiff Council, Community Foundation in Wales, Huggard, the Salvation Army, South Wales Police, The Wallich and Public Health Wales. The fund helps these homelessness charities to support the people they work with through small grants of up to £750 to pay for essentials such as appropriate clothing for interviews and/or employment; training or course fees; furniture and household items for a rough sleeper who has moved into a tenancy; counselling and more.

The house has been created by the same people who brought the ‘Ball in the Wall’ to Cardiff Castle – Wild Creations and is part of an initiative between FOR Cardiff and Visit Cardiff to encourage more people to shop in Cardiff in the run-up to Christmas while also supporting homeless people too.

Time your visit right and you could find yourself winning prizes with giveaways every Thursday to Sunday between 1pm and 2pm when the FOR Cardiff Christmas Elves will be handing out scrumptious Christmas treats and the chance to win some amazing prizes. Find a hidden star in the #GingerbreadMun treat to claim your prize!

There’s also a programme of free festive entertainment over coming weeks from family-friendly street entertainers. You can see the full timetable of events here.

Visit the #GingerbreadMun House from until Thursday 27 December. For more information visit the Visit Cardiff website here.