February 27, 2019 12.40 pm This story is over 61 months old

Homeless showers and laundry to open this summer

Residents have raised nearly £3,000 to get the plans in motion
Mint Lane Cafe volunteer coordinator Anastasia Oyebanji, directors at Lincoln Trauma Centre Andrea Stott & Michelle Freeman, Involve@Lincoln centre manager Charles Cooke, Renew member Kim East and Cafe manager Angeletia Padmore-Clarke. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

A charity will open a laundry service and showers for the homeless in the summer after nearly £3,000 was raised in under two weeks.

Let Them Eat Cake, a city based charity, partnered with Mint Lane Cafe to renovate two rooms for Lincoln’s homeless.

They set up a fundraiser on the gofundme website, where residents smashed the £2,500 target – raising £2,925.

Volunteers are already busy working on the washroom, which is expected to open at Mint Lane Cafe in around two to three months.

“We have spoken to two rough sleepers about the plans already,” Drew Potts, founder of Let Them Eat Cake, told The Lincolnite. “They are over the moon about it.

“People just don’t like to see others struggling so have really gotten behind the idea. We are very keen to get the rooms open as soon as possible.

“As well as the fundraiser, we’ve had lots of help from local plumbers, tilers and electricians. It wouldn’t be possible without their help.”

The charity group said that the room and facilities will only be used by genuine rough sleepers.

When it opens this summer, it will have a commercial washer and dryer big enough to clean sleeping bags as well as one or two showers.