A good night’s worx

Early shift parcels manager Rachel Wilson led a volunteering team from Tyneside Mail Centre onto the streets of Newcastle to help the city’s homeless.

The team worked throughout the evening of Saturday 7 December alongside the homeless charity, Destiny Street Worx.

When she saw the charity’s Facebook page, Rachel knew immediately it was the kind of work she wanted to get involved with. After contacting the charity’s founder, ‘Joanne,’ Rachel began putting posters up at work and emailing people asking for donations.

‘When we met the charity organisers in Newcastle city centre, they gave us high viz vests to wear so that people could see we were with the group,’ said Rachel.

‘We were also given individual bags to carry all the things colleagues had donated, such as, porridge pots, biscuits, crisps, hats, gloves, shoes and coats.

‘Our group of 11 volunteers walked a designated route handing out bags to the homeless people we met. Joanne, who founded Destiny Street Worx in 2004, came with us as she knew a lot of the regular homeless people and whereabouts in the city we would find them.

‘I’m very proud that Tyneside colleagues got involved and were so generous with donating things like bottled water, clothing and baby wipes.

‘Destiny Street Worx feeds, clothes and helps the street homeless in Newcastle every weekend – they’re amazing. At the moment, they’re trying to raise funds to buy a second-hand van to help them branch further around the north east and help others who find themselves homeless.’