Tunstall Market traders help city’s homeless through donation drive
Traders at Tunstall Market have collected donations of toiletries for the residents of Lily Gertrude Simister Court, which operates as a safe place for homeless households in the Tunstall area to temporarily stay.
Trader Bill Lewis, who organised the donations, said: “We wanted to organise a donation stall for the residents of Lily Gertrude Simister Court to do something positive for the local community in Tunstall. Everyone deserves somewhere to call home and we wanted to do our bit by helping to provide toiletries and wash bags to the residents.”
Bill’s wife, Melanie Callaghan-Lewis, is the Headteacher at Options Trent Acres School in Burton on Trent, which educates children with a range of complex needs. When they heard about the charity efforts of the market traders they were keen to get involved.
Bill added: “I’d like to thank Trent Acres School for their generous donations, the team at Tunstall Market have been overwhelmed by how many items the children and their families have collected in such a short space of time.”
Stoke-on-Trent City Councillor Carl Edwards, cabinet member for housing and environment said: “What a great group of people the traders at Tunstall Market are for donating items to people in need. The collection stall that they have organised shows true community spirit and I would like to thank them for their efforts. This is a fantastic example of local people working together to help their community.”
Anyone who would like to donate can drop off toiletries to Stall 45 at Tunstall Market on market days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9am to 5pm) or email markets@stoke.gov.uk for more information. Any donations would be gratefully received.
Concrete, who provide support services for the customers of Lily Gertrude Simister Court, and are working to make homelessness history, thanked the traders and said: “For our residents, being part of the local community is a huge part of creating a feeling of home. Since the project commenced in March, we are working hard to support the local community and engage the residents in activities locally that are meaningful to them and will work towards sustaining their recovery journey.”
For more information visit https://thisisconcrete.org.uk/
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