Football stars help kick start homelessness charity's Winter Crisis Appeal
Rival football players from Hearts and Hibs teamed up to help feed some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people at homeless charity Streetwork’s annual Christmas lunch.
The sporting heroes dished up a three course lunch with all the trimmings to 60 guests sitting down at the charity’s Crisis Centre.
Monday’s 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.
They are asking Hearts and Hibs fans to donate to their respective appeals to see which set of supporters is the most generous.
Gordon said: “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, which provided the food. 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.”
Both clubs also shared their support for the Streetwork Winter Crisis Appeal and urged fans to back the fundraising efforts.
A Hearts spokesperson said: “Heart of Midlothian Football Club is delighted to continue to back the fantastic efforts of Streetwork by attending their annual Christmas lunch.
“Christmas is a time for giving and our players are only too happy to give up their time to come along and serve Christmas dinners to those less fortunate.
“We wish Streetwork every success with their Winter Appeal and would urge our supporters to check it out and see how they can make a difference in someone’s life this Christmas.”
A spokesperson for Hibs, who have also kindly donated match tickets for service users, said: “It is a privilege to support the Streetwork Winter Appeal again this year.
“The charity does a fantastic amount of work and we are happy to help where we can.
“Our supporters have shown their kind and generous nature on a number of occasions and I’m sure they will get behind the Winter Appeal this year.”
Hearts fans can donate to the Winter Appeal through Gordon's Just Giving page hereand Hibs fans can back Jan's efforts here. You can support them on Twitter using the hashtags #StreetworkHibs and #StreetworkHearts.
