A CHARITY event will be held at the South Redditch Sports and Social Club in Greenlands at 1pm on Sunday, July 30.
The fund-raiser will be an open mic live music event led by ‘Shades of Grey’.
Gary Haywood, one of the organisers, said: “All musicians and singers are welcome to come down and perform.”
As well as entertainment, the events also raise awareness of the charity I’m Homeless, Get Me Out of Here, a Community Interest Company (CIC) aimed at helping people to get off the streets.
Its formation began when, after working for over three years with ‘Lets Feed Brum’ a charity focused on providing meals for people living on the streets of Birmingham, Gary, Dan Hadley and
Geoff Bridge decided to raise funds by sleeping on the streets themselves. They joined the homeless to find out what it was really like on the streets of Birmingham and to raise awareness of their plight.
Gary added: “Thousands of people watched our videos on Facebook and it did exactly what we wanted – raised awareness of this dire situation.”
Dan and Gary slept rough and Geoff met up with them every morning to offer support and busk to raise money.
They needed a tag name for the funding page and ‘I’m Homeless, Get Me Out of Here’ was born.
The charity funds for homeless outreach, including providing food, clothing and personal items, equips shelters and supports mentoring activities to help homeless people transition back into society.
The music events not only bring together local performers, but bring pleasure and social engagement to communities around Birmingham, Worcestershire and South Warwickshire.
Geoff said: “Donations come from appreciative and compassionate audiences who give generously, despite often having little themselves.”
People can also visit imhomelessgetmeoutofhere.com or MAPP (Music Against People’s Poverty) at mappwebsite.com for more information and to donate.
Last year ‘I’m Homeless’ raised £3,600 with every penny going to support the needs of homeless communities.
Geoff added: “We’re going from strength to strength and this year we’re well on target to surpass lasts year’s total.”
