Celebrities and Politicians Back Ealing Soup Kitchen Fundraising Drive

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Support charity postcard auction to raise funds for drop-in

Alan Shearer ( pic above) is just one of a number of celebrities who have supported a new charity initiative for Ealing Soup Kitchen.

f (Lord Alf Dubs)

Andrew Mcleay, Homeless Support Worker has collected dozens of postcards with signatures and doodles from a wide variety of people including Judi Dench,Lord Alf Dubs Chris Packham, Danny John-Jules, Freddie Flintoff, Jessie J, Jeremy Corbyn, Imelda Staunton, Jo Brand, the band Madness.

The cards will be auctioned off in a bid to raise money and also highlight the issue of homelessness - many homeless clients themselves have contributed postcards.

(Ken Loach)                                     (Jeremy Corbyn)

The cards will all be displayed together, Andrew says:

"I am hoping it will help people to re-think the us and them attitude that sometimes comes with class struggles, which many of my clients face daily."

 

The Monday Eve Drop in, open since April last year, usually gets up to 80 to 90 people through its doors when it opens at 7pm every week. The drop in provides food, games and music, and also has an in-house doctor on site for any guests who need it.

It's hoped enough money will be raised to continue to run it for another year and Andrew hopes to also use introduce live music for the guests, many of whom can't afford to see live gigs.

Client Leo, a regular at the drop in, says 'It's a great place - great food and the people are caring. It's the kind of place to come to feel safe."

"I come here because it's great company and it's a good laugh" says S, another client who braves it in from the cold every week.

Trustee Alan Simpson says: "There are so many mouths to feed, but it's the community that really keeps this place alive. People don't just come here for warmth - they come for a sense of community to bridge the gap for the isolation they feel in their lives" Alan himself was once a client of the Soup Kitchen, and was re-housed with the help of the charity a few years ago.

Andrew Says: ''This is a place people have come to trust. They come because it's safe, it's warm, it's good food and it helps people feel normal again. The money we raise through our auction could change many of our guests’ lives".

 

The auction takes place in Haven Green Baptist Hall, Castlebar Road, W5 2UZ from 10am - 12pm on Saturday 18th of March. The compère will be X Factor/Britain's Got Talent funnyman Ian Royce. There will be many other lots at the auction such as signed books/shirts/footballs and holiday/food packages.

March 15th 2017