Hundreds of homeless people celebrated Christmas with turkey, presents and free phone calls home on Saturday thanks to Catholics in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
More than 200 of the city’s homeless came to Christmas lunch at St George’s Hub in central Birmingham where guests called friends and family to wish them a happy Christmas on a mobile phone donated to the event by the O2 network, and a local choir sang Gospel music.
One man spoke to his mother and father in Latvia for the first time in eight years.
Meanwhile volunteers from the St Vincent de Paul Society provided them with turkey, trimmings, clothes and shoes.
Every guest was given a Christmas present, with one Catholic middle school wrapping almost 200 gifts ahead of the event.
Monsignor Pat Browne, parish priest at St. Anne's, Digbeth, Birmingham and a soup kitchen helper said: "It is great to see so many people involved in helping with this Christmas project. Over the last year or so many people have been helping with soup kitchens and outreach in the city centre which has helped to build up contacts with homeless and people living alone. The Christmas meal brings these people and many others from the local communities together to benefit from the goodness and wonderful spirit of people, organisation and businesses.”
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