Stars line up to support FC United’s Big Coat Day to help the homeless

Celebrities, actors and comedians are once again lining up to support community football club FC United of Manchester’s annual Big Coat Day on Boxing Day, which aims to help the homeless and needy by collecting warm winter clothing before their home game against Witton Albion on 26 December 2012.

Last winter 5,000 excess deaths occurred in the North West, many because of lack of heating and warm clothing. That’s one person every 30 minutes.

FC United hopes to play its part in helping the homeless and needy through the winter months by asking people to bring their spare winter clothing down to Gigg Lane on Boxing Day, where charities the Mustard Tree and the Boaz Trust will load the clothing into vans to take away and distribute to those most in need. The collection will take place from noon and finish at 3pm when FC United’s home fixture against Witton Albion kicks off.

A range of organisations have already signed up to support Big Coat Day this year. They include Royal Mail Manchester, Bury Council , BAE Systems, BCM Consulting, Arco Workwear, Witton Albion , NHS Manchester , Salford University, Salford NHS, Neighbourhood Services Didsbury, Manchester Jobcentre Plus, Guinness Housing together with various FC branches and individuals organising local collections. Actors Maxine Peake, John Henshaw, Steve Evets and Julie Hesmondalgh, musician Peter Hook and cricket commentator David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, have all added their backing to this year’s FC United Big Coat Day and are calling on people to turn up to the Boxing Day game against Witton Albion with their spare winter coats and other warm clothing. You can see Maxine Peake’s message of support at http://vimeo.com/55397665 and David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd’s at https://t.co/S3Q6vTC6  

Last year’s Big Coat Day was the best ever and a fantastic response from the public and football fans alike saw six tons (over 3,000 items) of winter clothing collected to keep the poor and needy warm around Manchester and beyond.

FC United general manager Andy Walsh said: “Last winter, some 5,000 deaths occurred in the North West, many because of lack of heating and warm clothing. I would ask anyone across Greater Manchester with any unwanted items of warm clothing to take it directly to Gigg Lane between 12 noon and 2.55pm on Boxing Day, where it will be collected for distribution to the needy.”