Hundreds use homeless shelter set up in school

Up to 250 people a day have used a homeless shelter at a primary school in Birmingham over the Christmas period.

Guests have been able to get three hot meals, somewhere to sleep, showers and services such as barbers, dentistry and foot care at St Catherine of Siena school.

It has partnered with Birmingham Christmas Shelter, a charity that has had to raise about £40,000 for this year's festive initiative between 24 and 28 December.

Pupils have made donations, and the school described the project as a "good use of our resources over the Christmas holidays".

Deputy headteacher Tom Minchin said: "You can see from the donations we've had, be it food, toiletries, clothing or Christmas cards or decorations that the children have made, the children know how important this is."

Mr Minchin added it closed off "half the school, but everything in our early years and key stage 1 sections become completely transformed by the Christmas shelter".

For the past 50 years the charity has provided a warm and safe place over the festive period for those who are homeless, lonely or vulnerable.

It said it had provided hot meals, snacks, drinks, showers, entertainment, companionship and services such as foot care, hairdressing, massage and housing advice.

Charity trustee Shirley Mallon said it was a "vital partnership" as Birmingham Christmas Shelter required "a huge amount of space to feed and sleep and look after" those coming and needed "a space the size of a school".

"You can't easily rent that sort of size of premises commercially, so it's perfect for us to have a school that is not using their facilities," she added.

"We find that the children, when you'd think they'd be thinking about, 'Well, what's Santa going to bring me', are actually thinking about people less fortunate."

One man who used the facility, Bill, said: "The kids will make presents for us and everything, which is just brilliant, that's fantastic.

"Then you've got members of the public who will donate things, which makes you feel better because at least you know somebody's out there that cares.

"There's still good people in the world, and that's what keeps me going."

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