Hibs’ players Mark Oxley and Martin Boyle joined forces with Hearts duo Jamie Walker and Soufian El Hassnaoui to help feed some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people at homeless charity Streetwork’s annual Christmas lunch on Tuesday.
A three course lunch was dished up to around 60 guests at the charity’s Crisis Centre, provided by the Sheraton Grand Hotel. The Hibernian players also handed over a number of match tickets for Saturday’s game with Queen of the South as a Christmas gift to some of the service users.
The lunch also kicked-off the second half of Streetwork’s 2015 Winter Crisis Appeal, which aims to raise £10,000 to provide practical help for those who find themselves excluded, destitute and homeless this winter.
Streetwork’s staff are also pitching in with finance manager and Jambo Gordon Watson, facing head of services and Hibee Jan Williamson, in a head-to-head festive fundraising fixture.
“We are really grateful to the clubs and players for giving their time so generously today,” said Gordon.
“There is a lot of footie banter in the office all year round. So we reckoned we could channel that into a bit of fun to raise cash for the Winter Appeal. We’re calling on all Jambos and Hibbies out there to support us by helping to raise money for a great cause. It’s game on!”
Funds raised will provide essential support to people who are on the streets. Every little helps: £1 pays for a hot drink, £5 pays for a soup, a sandwich and a hot shower, £10 pays for a clean change of warm clothes, £25 pays for a winter sleeping bag and £150 helps run the Crisis Centre.
Streetwork chief executive Kenny Forsyth said: “Our dedicated staff are on the streets of Edinburgh 365 days a year reaching out to people living in the most desperate situations. Demands on services are particularly high at this time of year as the cold weather sets in.
“So we’re delighted to have such generous support from Hearts, Hibs and the Sheraton. Christmas is a time for families but for many people, the complex problems which lead to them becoming homeless stretch back to their own childhood.”
About Streetwork:
1 Last winter more than 1000 vulnerable individuals sought Streetwork’s support for bare necessities, such as clean clothes and a hot shower.
2 Every year we help more than 3000 people in Edinburgh who don’t have a home or are sleeping rough. We don’t wait for them to come to us – we go out to them, on the streets, in local communities and work with people at their pace, on their terms and in their space to help them achieve lasting change.
3 Early next year we will launch a larger fundraising campaign to refurbish our Crisis Centre which offers a key lifeline for many vulnerable individuals all year round.
4 Streetwork’s long-term ambition is to provide support and assistance to enable a life off the streets. Our Crisis Line is available for immediate help round the clock, 365 days a year. Freephone 0808 178 2323
5 You can support our important work by donating to Streetwork’s Winter Appeal through our Just Giving page: http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/streetwork/winter2015
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
