We are closing in on some big numbers. We will most likely go past 30,000 served after the breakfast run tomorrow. A truly amazing effort when you consider how many steps, lifts etc required to make it happen. In terms of fund raising we haven’t been pushing but despite that we are closing in on £175,000…just £2,500 off. Jen did a birthday fundraiser which was hugely successful and raised £3,245 – big high 5.

The rest of this update will be dedicated to Fred Poll aka Freddie because of the proactive spirit he has shown is an inspiration.

• He started a local initiative to collect shoes for our homeless friends. Over the course of the last weeks he has collected close to 350 pairs of shoes. I even had an email from someone asking if he was legit.
• Freddie stepped up last week to distribute water around town when the temperatures were around 30 degrees.
• He has also connected a barber with the Jesus centre who is the main provider of showers to our homeless friends in Westminster council. That collaboration is in discussion.
• This coming Friday/Saturday he will be back on the bike distributing the clothes around town as TSG lose their space in Public Hall.

In this Covid emergency initiative UOS has struggled to keep its head above water because our set up was in no way ready for how the initiative grew. For that reason it has been difficult to act on suggestions for additional activities. So to have Fred take action directly has been a big help in continuing to evolve our menu of services. This group has many Fred’s…and your contributions have made this initiative what it has become. Respect and gratitude.