Member Article

Mayor donates £3,000 to help Merthyr’s homeless

The Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil, Councillor Kevin Gibbs, has donated £3,000 to local charity the Donation Station, which is in the Indoor Market at St Tydfil Shopping Centre.

Councillor Gibbs has been a long-time supporter of the Donation Station, and has nominated it as one of his chosen charities during his mayoral year. Prior to being elected, he joined the charity for 24-hour and 48-hour camp outs on Pen-y-Fan to highlight the plight of the local homeless.

The money donated by the Mayor was raised through raffles and donations from Castle Bingo, which also supports the Mayor’s chosen charities, as well as events such as Tydfilians Roman Run. An additional £3,000 was also donated to the National Autistic Society, which is the Mayor’s second selected charity.

Councillor Kevin Gibbs commented: “Over the years I have met and spoken to some of our county borough’s rough sleepers, many who are homeless through no fault of their own. In this day and age, I feel it’s a travesty that people can be left without a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, and I will always do all I can to support those less fortunate.

“Having read reports and seen first-hand the dreadful situation of homelessness, not only in our area, but throughout the UK, it was a cause I felt compelled to support. It has given me immense pleasure to hand over a cheque for £3,000 which will go a long way to sustaining the excellent work the Donation Station does in providing aid to the homeless in Merthyr Tydfil.”

Lee Heggie, the founder of the Donation Station, added: “I’m overwhelmed that the Mayor chose us as one of his charities. The £3,000 donation will make such a difference and will provide basic items and equipment to the homeless in Merthyr Tydfil. On behalf of everyone involved with the Donation Station, I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Mayor and his wife for their continued support.”

The Mayor and his wife have previously raised money for the Donation Stations by asking guests at their wedding to donate money instead of gifts. That money was given to the charity’s coffee scheme, which was set up in conjunction with both the market and bus station cafes. The scheme offers hot food and drinks free of charge to local homeless people and is purely reliant on funds donated by the generous people of Merthyr Tydfil.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sally Burfoot .