The ex-Man United star helping the homeless through Covid: His shelter was deemed unsafe in a pandemic, so Lou Macari filled a warehouse … Ex-Stoke City manager Lou Macari hosted a screening of the BAFTA award-winning film ‘Marvellous’ to raise money for the homeless. Lou Macari has been involved in homelessness in the Stoke area since 2016 and he’s clearly invested in finding solutions to a long-standing problem. I myself have worked in the field for many years and know the issue of homelessness itself is rarely the only obstacle. We're 'obsessed with Celtic' - just like you! John Reid is an experienced journalist, specialising in Scottish football for a number of years. We’ve seen them decorating the pods and taking a real pride in making them their own. Celtic as we all know are a club borne from charitable beginnings. Macari, who scored the winner for Celtic in the 1971 Scottish Cup Final replay, could be enjoying a quiet retirement. That is another reason why Macari’s goal is unrealistic. Some players probably won’t be interested in donating some of their wages, even though the world is in crisis. ‘Glamping’, I believe it’s called,”. Glenrothes based bedding manufacturer Dusal has linked up with the Lou Macari Foundation to send 75 much needed duvets for the charity’s Street … Right now, the place is full to bursting with all 51 places taken up. Macari, 70, continues to put himself in harm’s way to run the Lou Macari Centre for the homeless in the Hanley area of Stoke. A figure of £40,000 or £50,000 would be nothing to players earning vast sums of money. No likely. 7 talking about this. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . In Scotland, players are paid far less than they are in England. Former Stoke City manager Lou Macari says society should not ‘give up’ on homeless people – even when they appear to have given up on themselves. His Homeless charity the Macari Foundation is carrying out some incredible work, sadly more necessary than ever during the current pandemic. Old school hostel accommodation can shelter but it limits how the individual can be supported. Former Celtic boss Lou Macari has a hope that every football player in the English Premier League will donate money in the battle to defeat the current global pandemic, but that seems unlikely to happen. Lou Macari highlights importance of healthy living Manchester United Legend Lou Macari kicked off the ‘Big Health Event’ in Wythenshawe on Thursday 7th February. Sapientia Education Trust have donated 26 three drawer chest of drawer units to the Macari Foundation. 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Covid 19 has brought a whole new series of challenges. The new accommodation also means that the necessary support can also visit the warehouse, while the individuals can attend appointments, stay engaged with services, even start work or voluntary placements. As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. A big day at The Macari Centre pic.twitter.com/gmaO4IrMY0, — Lou Macari (@LouMacari10) October 16, 2020. No it wont feed the homeless or poor of stoke but it will go a long way to ensuring that people survive these horrid times HH Reactions: Jimmy'J , aroona1 , michael duffy and 5 others By administrator on December 15, 2015. Join the 67 Hail Hail Forum now and have your say. Homelessness is a hugely underfunded problem in the UK, projects like Lou Macari’s, we can only hope, can be an inspiration for others to follow suit. As a player, he was a hero for fans of @ManUtd, @CelticFC and @ScotlandNT , These days, Lou Macari is making his mark on Stoke by tackling homelessness through the new & improved Macari Centre @LouMacari10 | @MacariFDN | @stokecity, ️ https://t.co/KKtvL6ENkR pic.twitter.com/8nbg4AIdyL. The Macari Centre in Hanley relocated to a new building – featuring individual accommodation – during the lockdown . Charity Events . Other Charites include: Lou Macari Homeless Shelter in Stoke. We’ve come a long way moving into our new home and credit to the staff and volunteers in making it happen. As such dormitory style rooms are set aside, where people sleep almost cheek to jowl, while every inch of floor space and armchair availability is often utilised as providers play it as close to health and safety regulations as they can to ensure as many people as possible can be safe and warm overnight. Lou has been able to give each homeless guest their own pod within a warehouse, giving them their own space and dignity and a level of independence, many won’t have had for a long, long time. Our Wish List - Macari Foundation The Macari Foundation is a Registered Charity (No. Back on 2 December, The Celtic Star highlighted the incredible work being carried out by former Celtic player and manager Lou Macari. “What I’m not seeing is Premier League footballers doing much of anything to help the coronavirus cause. It truly is a remarkable charitable project and the simplicity and ingenuity is the making of it. Nothing. Covid-19 has brought a lot of extra challenges for those facing homelessness across the UK, and those supporting them through it. Ever since the years of austerity, funding, services and charities have all diminished. Lou Macari won the FA Cup with Manchester United 40 years ago – now he’s a champion of the homeless for haven’s sake.. You could sleep there of course, you could also wash yourself and your clothes, but as a long-term solution it was very limited as to what it could achieve, and Covid-19 made that nigh on impossible to be safe for as many people as it previously was. Lou Macari, who played for the Scottish national team, Celtic and Manchester United among others during a career spanning from the 60s to 80s, … Mental health, risk of violence, financial difficulties as well as issues around addiction and isolation often play a part. This has been supported by lou macari... i have communicated with lou and advised i would like to raise money for the centre to help provide more equipment or even just some money towards more beds, and sleeping bags. Therefore, Macari’s hopes will be confined to those players in the English Premier League. On one hand a pandemic has added to an already incredibly dangerous predicament to be in, while on the other the usual places a homeless individual may be able to ‘bed-down’ in have come under government social distancing restrictions and had to close for long periods of time. PA ‘Torture victim’ Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe needs urgent psychiatric help – charity Fri 12 Mar. The chances of such an idea taking off in Scotland would seem even more remote. “I just had a hunch that they could be the solution to our problems, and they’ve been brilliant because we’ve been able to give people – some of them for the first time in their lives – their own place with a number and their own name on the door.”. I noticed the other day one player had donated something like £40,000 and that was a nice gesture” Macari said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun. Macari made the call as he currently spends time running his Lou Macari Centre for the homeless in Stoke. Former Celtic manager Lou Macari (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images). In all my own years working in homelessness, this has been the single toughest one I have seen for those where being roofless is a nightly occurrence and a daily challenge. Well done Lou macari and his charity for this great effort. That was before a drive in the Country gave Lou Macari a brainwave. At first that involved his Macari Centre, where the dormitory style accommodation was also supplemented by access to laptops, TV and DVD access, washing machines, showers and wash facilities, as well as lockers for personal belongings. If they are looking for advice on how to get it off the ground, they only need to look to Lou Macari for some creative thinking. The Macari Foundation is committed to helping end homelessness in Stoke-on-Trent. United ran in six – Lou Macari (2), Gordon Hill, Jimmy Greenhoff, Sammy McIlroy and a Trevor Ross own goal – while Everton had to make do with … Perhaps the clubs will make charity donations, or individual players or managers, but every single player? 1168463) and, as such, our operations are supported by fundraising activities and the generous donations made by benevolent individuals and organisations. Macari seems very satisfied with how it is all working out and it appears the new guests are benefitting greatly from his visionary approach to tacking homelessness in Stoke: “We’ve had great feedback on how they’ve been enjoying new set-up with the warehouse and pods – the fact they have their own space to retreat to and have a bit of quiet time. Lou Macari enjoyed 12 memorable years at Old Trafford – but so nearly ended up a Liverpool player. We provide shelter, food, friendship and support. Lou Macari supports homeless people with luxury shelters (Image: Getty) He launched the Lou Macari Foundation four years ago. Lou Macari’s warehouse and pod system seems ever so simple, but it took a man with an eye for a solution that matched his ability to find the net to come up with this one and then find the sponsorship and local support to get it off the ground. Former Celtic boss Lou Macari has a hope that every football player in the English Premier League will donate money in the battle to defeat the current global pandemic, but that seems unlikely to happen. Many hostels and shelters use every inch of space to get as many people in from the cold on any given night. If we are going to find solutions to problems some out the box thinking is going to have to be encouraged. Yet the cramped space limited what could be done to support the guests. 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Things we’d all take for granted but provide real challenges for those experiencing homelessness. 15/07/2020 . The former Manchester United and Scotland midfielder is now based in Stoke-on-Trent. Macari’s comments are correct. The Home of all things Manchester United on Reddit 66 3 Shares The Celtic Star is committed to bringing you the best coverage of Celtic, past, present and future. Generous Lou Macari will help to feed thousands of cash-strapped families – after donating £24,000 to Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank. GRV Media, 18 Mulberry Avenue, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 0WN, (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images), hat I’m not seeing is Premier League footballers doing much of anything to help the coronavirus cause. One former Celtic star is continuing that tradition in Staffordshire, and it’s those facing the challenges of being roofless during a worldwide pandemic who are feeling the benefit. Not to mention the planning permission hurdles and objections I know from experience often stop projects in their tracks. However, that just seems unrealistic. The football legend explained the work of … Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Unitas Stoke-on-Trent Ltd, the council’s property maintenance company, have worked alongside local charity, The Macari Foundation, to help transform an unused warehouse into a safe haven for homeless people during the pandemic.. That was only starting to see the slightest of recovery when the current pandemic hit. Although Lou’s nature has always been to help people, he had never officially run a charity. THE MACARI FOUNDATION IS ESTABLISHED TO RELIEVE POVERTY OF PERSONS WHO ARE HOMELESS, AT RISK OF BECOMING HOMELESS OR THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM ASSOCIATED ISSUES SUCH AS SUBSTANCE MISS-USE, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS OR CRIME AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE BY PROVIDING NIGHT SHELTER … One thing that has to be taken into account as well is that by the time football returns, some clubs, even some big ones, might have asked their players to take wage cuts. Lou Macari hosts ‘Marvellous’ charity night for homeless in Stoke 0. Helping the homeless people of Stoke on Trent Lou Macari’s Homeless Project really is Something Special By Niall J 2 December, 2020 Celtic as we all know are a club borne from charitable beginnings. The Celtic Star is the independent Celtic Supporters site. Former footballer and manager Lou Macari has revealed how a drive through the countryside gave him the inspiration to keep his homelessness project running through the Covid-19 pandemic. One former Celtic star is continuing that tradition in Staffordshire, and it’s those facing the challenges of being roofless during a worldwide pandemic who are feeling the benefit. When it comes to players in England, the majority of players in the Premier League could afford to donate cash to help those less fortunate at this time. In Stoke-on-Trent ex Celtic player and manager Lou Macari has found an innovative and admirable way to find a solution to those problems, and for any of you who have spent any time glamping or in the hospitality section of a music festival, you’ll recognise what would now appear an ingenious solution was as simple as so many of the best ideas are. “And as soon as I saw them, I thought: ‘They’d need a bit about them to resist the cold; they could work well’. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced much of the United Kingdom to a grinding halt, but former United hero Lou Macari is not giving an inch in his crusade against homelessness. But his dormitory-style shelter in Stoke couldn't continue in … “But they should all be doing it. Former Celtic player and manager Lou Macari is making all the right headlines. 287k members in the reddevils community. Pods. Macari made the call as he currently spends time running his Lou Macari Centre for the homeless in Stoke. The Macari Foundation was founded In 2016. 00:00, 08 February 2013 United Legend Lou Macari highlights importance of healthy living ... Charity. However, after having the lightbulb moment of purchasing 10 ‘glamping’ pods, he saw the potential to create a Foundation to house the homeless. Former Stoke City manager Lou Macari has thanked supporters of his shelter for the homeless ... Runner’s charity challenges based on New Seven Wonders of the World Mon 01 Mar. The ex Stoke City boss set up the Macari Centre to tackle homelessness in the city four years ago. Weʼre raising money to the memory of JOHNNY OWEN - for the Lou Macari Foundation, The Gordon Banks Memorial Garden and MacMillan Nurses at Leighton Hospital.. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page. The macari foundation is established to relieve poverty of persons who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or those who are suffering from associated issues such as substance miss-use, mental health problems or crime and anti-social behaviour iN north staffordshire by providing night shelter accommodation, food and support to them to help them move on to independent living. Huge improvements with the new pods. The 23-year-old England striker was awarded an MBE in October and has been named as an SJA Sport for Social Change winner, alongside Lou Macari… Still, hopefully his homeless centre is able to secure the funds it needs to help people in these very trying times. Joe has been involved in hosting countless charity events working with National clients such as the Royal Variety Club of Great Britain to more local ones such as the Cornerstone Homeless Charity in Manchester and the Manchester based Good Life Orphanage. 167 were here. It was finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parhead's gates. “It’s great too because it’s provided them with an address, which they often need if they go to the likes of the job centre or the bank. The macari centre has only just opened on regent road in hanley. Walking the streets of Stoke-on-Trent, Macari … I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. They wouldn’t even feel it” he concluded. A great day at The Macari Centre. Each individual gets an element of independence, they also have an address of their own, almost essential if you need to apply for benefits, open a bank account or apply for jobs. Speaking to Fifa.com https://www.fifa.com/news/the-man-united-legend-tackling-homelessness the ex-Celtic striker explained how it all came about: “I was going past a field and it had these pods in it. Have something to tell us about this article? The Trust’s Chief Operating Officer, Bob Moorhouse, brought the units over from Wymondham College in Norfolk. The League Manager’s Association has even donated 46 televisions to this amazing project. Now more than ever homelessness services and charities are stretched to breaking point. Having a roof over your head in a hostel is always better than having to sleep rough, but if you want to break the cycle, get access to benefits, housing advice, social services support, help to get back into employment and break the cycle of addiction, it can ne nigh on impossible if you wake every day and your all-encompassing thought is simply about where you can sleep before darkness and the cold of the night descends. Thanks for all your messages and contributions pic.twitter.com/bd9akRlJQF. Homelessness can be a difficult cycle to break free from. Lou Macari hopes players donate to charity (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images). It’s giving them a chance at a better life than the one they had anyway, and that’s all I ever wanted to do.”. That is what makes Lou Macari’s warehouse and independent pods so ingenious.