Maiden Voyage founder Carolyn Pearson has launched the ‘Hotels4Homeless’ campaign to bring the hotel and homeless sectors together to benefit disadvantaged people.
Through the campaign, hotels can donate bedding, furniture and electrical items to the homeless as they move back into their own accommodation.
Properties such as Oulton Hall in Leeds, the Leopold Hotel in Sheffield and the Clayton Hotel at Manchester airport have all donated items during their refurbishment programmes.
The campaign is also environmentally friendly, as it prevents unused items from going to landfill.
Hotels that support the campaign are featured on Maiden Voyage’s website. Pearson says she hopes this will inspire the hospitality industry to make Hotels4Homeless a part of their refurbishment programmes.
Pearson also hopes the programme will extend to unused stock of personal care and cleaning products.
Pearson commented: “Sometimes, the most simple ideas are the best. The idea came about when I was volunteering for a local homeless charity. The charity knew that we worked closely with the hotel sector and asked if some of our hotel partners might be willing to donate old duvets for their clients. The idea grew from there and over 200 people have benefitted from donations of bedding, furniture and electrical items as they move back into their own accommodation.”
Chris Walker, CEO of homeless charity Calderdale Smartmove, added: “We’ve been delighted to work with Maiden Voyage on the Hotels4Homeless campaign. It has helped to ensure that those most in need are benefitting when items that would previously have gone to landfill can be put to better use.”
Maiden Voyage is encouraging hotels that wish to support the Hotels4Homeless campaign to contact their local homeless charities in the first instance.
maiden-voyage.com/hotels4homeless.aspx