A PROJECT launched to help the homeless last winter has been donated a new base.

Help The Homeless East Lancashire, which organises volunteers to hand out free hot food and drink across the region every week, has been given the use of an empty building in Skipton Road, Colne.

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Project manager Wes Hall said: “We can use it to house, train, employ, educate, feed, and support homeless people in East Lancashire.

“The Bombay Lounge in Barrowford has donated us a lease so we can make use of it. We plan to develop the building into a whole range of support services for the most vulnerable in society who are facing problems surrounding homelessness, and want to address many of the problems innovatively.”

The Help The Homeless internet movement was borne out of a single Facebook message last winter.

The project, originally inspired by Nelson man Liam Canning, has seen kind-hearted strangers brave cold nights to set up and man a weekly mobile soup kitchen outside Burnley Library every Wednesday.

Help is also available on the car park opposite Blackburn Fire Station every Wednesday.

The project has evolved into a county-wide project providing the needy with hot food, clothing, and vital advice. The project also aims to register as a charity once it has enough funding.

Mr Hall said: “This initiative is growing into something special and I’m so thankful to the people that help to make it happen.”

He said £5,000 would enable the project to register as a charity and would fund a trailer, which will be taken to festivals across the UK.

Manned by homeless people, it will see one free meal given to the needy for every meal sold.

Mr Hall, who himself once lived on the street after leaving home at 15, said: “My own personal experiences whilst being homeless and the experiences of so many others who have been unfortunate enough to have had to sleep rough on the streets will aid our development as a social enterprise immensely and the future for the project looks exciting.

“With our team consisting of both ex-homeless and homeless professionals with experience, We aim to offer something different to other organisations.”

“We have plans to set-up a community interest company with all our profits from the cafe slash social centre slash emergency accommodation ‘going back into’ many other community projects that help the homeless and also prevent homelessness.”