A CITY centre nightclub held a Help the Homeless night this week, encouraging clubbers to donate clothes, food and money for a local charity.
Popworld Cardiff, on St Mary Street, offered free entry to anybody who donated a clean pair of socks and pants or a tin of food.
The event raised £200 and saw more than 100 items of clothing being donated. All proceeds will be donated to the Huggard Centre, a homeless shelter in Cardiff.
Ralph Walker-Smith, spokesman for the Huggard Centre, was grateful.
He said: “The support of the Cardiff community is extremely important to achieving our long-term goals in helping the homeless. A huge thank-you to Popworld and all its clients for supporting Huggard.”
A similar event was held in Popworld in December. The club asked people to bring tins of food for the homeless in exchange for free entry. They received 230 tins and Jason Russell, Popworld’s marketing manager, said it was this success that inspired the club to do more throughout the year.
“When we first set out to do a charity night in aid of the homeless we just did not want it to be a one-trick pony,” he said.
Popworld plans to hold the next event in the summer.
“It would be a great opportunity if we could get students involved as well,” said Mr Russell.
“As a venue we want to help as much as we can and make a difference to a homeless person’s life. The only way we can achieve this is with the support of our customers and also the media spreading the word not to ignore a homeless person. Everyone has a story to tell about how they became homeless. We should not judge a book by its cover.”
Mr Russell said: “Everything helps and it gives satisfaction to know you have helped a homeless person survive another day.”
