Homeless Project Scotland is a fledgling charity, set up in October 2019 by a handful of volunteers that wanted to give homeless people on the streets of our towns and cities hot drinks and food during the harsh winter nights.

Initially they set out with backpacks of flasks and sandwiches walking the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh to ensure that anyone found struggling was able at least to get a hot drink and something to eat. Within a short period of time, the organisation managed to recruit a team of volunteers who began to distribute a selection of food, essential toiletries and warm clothes.

Since then, they have enlisted the support from major companies such as Aldi, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer, who kindly donate supplies of food which are collected during the day and then distribute to homeless shelters throughout Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lanarkshire in the evenings.

Anyone who saw the above picture of the huge line of homeless people waiting to be fed one night under the Hielanman's Umbrella recently couldn’t fail to have been shocked. I know I was. It’s been an issue in Glasgow for a long time, but things have clearly got much, much worse

That soup kitchen is being ran by Homeless Project Scotland, an organisation completely made up of volunteers. Not one person is taking a wager despite the tireless work they do in and around the city with every penny donated going directly to people who are in the most desperate of need.

Things are rough all round at the moment, but I can’t stand back and do nothing knowing this is going on right on our doorsteps. So a group of us have got together, with more joining every day, to walk the West Highland Way and raise as much as possible for this amazing charity, who need support now more than ever, due to the impact of COVID-restrictions.

We are planning on doing the walk over several days in April, lockdown willing. It will be socially distanced, compliant with all regulations and hopefully by the end of it we will have hit our group target of £50,000.

We know things are tight, but if you can spare anything at all, be assured it will be making a huge difference to someone’s life.

Even if you can’t donate, a share will do. It all counts. And if you want to join in the walk itself, we’d love to have you along.

In the meantime, let’s do what we can to help the people who help everyone else.

Cheers

Daniel Sharkey