A Glasgow homeless community celebrated a charity’s 30th birthday at Clarence House this month.
Beneficiaries of homelessness charity Emmaus celebrated its thirty years by attending a lunch at the royal residence, hosted by its royal patron, the Duchess of Cornwall.
Anthony, who is supported by Emmaus Glasgow and works at the charity’s Hamiltonhill shop, was one of thirty people invited to meet the Duchess and share with her how the charity has made a difference to his life.
Each of the primary guests was also able to invite someone who was part of their journey at Emmaus to attend and Anthony chose to bring Emmaus Glasgow director Richard Allwood.
READ MORE: ‘Brave’ Glasgow police officers scoop prizes at cop awards
He said: “It all went really well, except for me spilling my pudding on Her Royal Highness’ Persian rug! You could tell Emmaus had arrived as there were so many characters.
“I came in my new suit and beautiful coat that had been donated to us at Emmaus Glasgow.
“When I was going through difficult times in the past, I really didn’t think I would one day meet the Duchess.”
He added: “Her Royal Highness was incredibly warm and intelligent. I think she likes being the patron of Emmaus and is very interested in helping homeless people.
“I talked to Her Royal Highness about Emmaus Glasgow’s visit from the United Nations Chilean and UK Climate Champions during COP26.
“She asked me whether I spoke Spanish to one of the delegates, but I told her French was my second language, and that I try to speak to one of the French people at Emmaus Glasgow.
READ MORE: Thousands of kids face a homeless Christmas in Glasgow as numbers double in seven years
“I thought I’d be more tongue tied, but I was excited by it all.
“At the end of the lunch event, she went upstairs to her apartment, and I got to take home a piece of 30th birthday cake.”
Anthony joined Emmaus Glasgow in 2013 after spending several years in and out of temporary accommodation, struggling with his finances and balancing his meals.
Thanks to the help of a dietitian organised by Emmaus, Anthony’s diabetes is now under control and he has been able to learn how to budget.
He now runs Emmaus Glasgow’s shop in Hamiltonhill where he helps process donations, operates the till and takes queries over the telephone.
Charlotte Talbott, CEO of Emmaus UK, said: “We are extremely grateful to HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and the staff at Clarence House for hosting a fantastic 30 year celebration event.
READ MORE: Former Bellahouston Academy annex to be used for affordable flats
“Countless lives have been transformed in Emmaus communities and groups over the past 30 years and it was important to be able to bring some of those people together, along with their guests, to mark this important point in our history.
“It was a great day and a fitting tribute, and I look forward to seeing Emmaus reach even more people over the next 30 years.”
The event on November 10 was part of Emmaus’s 30th anniversary celebrations, reflecting on what the charity has achieved in the past three decades.
Emmaus was brought to the UK from France in 1991, and there are now 29 communities providing shelter, training and support to 850 formerly homeless people.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here