Chelsea Stars Pay Visit to Barons Court Project
Part of the club's support for the Wrap Up Warm campaign
Marcus Bettinelli, Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo are welcomed to the centre. Picture: Chelsea FC
December 23, 2024
Three Chelsea first team players recently paid a visit to a local charity which is helping the homeless this Christmas.
Tosin Adarabioyo, Marcus Bettinelli and Levi Colwill represented the squad at the Barons Court Project, the only day centre supporting people experiencing homelessness in the area.
With the Wrap Up Warm campaign reaching its final week in the build-up to Christmas, the footballers extended their personal support to those working on the initiative.
Chelsea Football Club, Chelsea Foundation and the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust are working together with charities tackling homelessness. There is a fund open for financial donations to help address the root causes of homelessness all year-round while, focused specifically on these winter months, it has also been appealing for clothing this winter with the final collection being made during the recent Europa Conference League fixtures at Stamford Bridge against Shamrock Rovers.
Barons Court Project is one of the beneficiaries of coats, trousers, jumpers, undergarments and many more types of items that have been received at drop-off points over the past month and the three Blues players were more than happy to assist with the latest delivery, handing over clothing directly to guests who were at the centre on the day.
Marcus Bettinelli greeting guests at the Barons Court Project
Michael Angus, director of the Barons Court Project, welcomed the Chelsea visitors, and was especially intrigued by Bettinelli’s past loan spells at his own hometown club of Accrington Stanley. He spoke about the continuing yearly rise in homelessness, about homelessness being a state of someone not having a place where they can be themselves, and about how Barons Court Project is a home for people who otherwise do not have one.
He gave the players a tour of all the floors of the centre and the services on offer which range from showers and a laundry to body-and-mind services and an art room. There they meet Guan Chow, one of the stars of the Wrap Up Warm launch video, who showcased his art-based social enterprise there.
Levi Colwill with Guan Chow from the project
‘We were really interested in coming down and seeing the work they do here,’ said Bettinelli after the tour.
‘There can be a stigma around these houses being like soup kitchens which might be a bit grotty whereas this isn't the case at all. You get a real sense of pride being taken inside this house and Michael explained extremely well how he wants everyone to feel it's special to be here.
‘It must be amazing for the guests when they arrive to have access to stuff we take for granted every day, like warm-water showers. When people are homeless, there may be a stigma that they've done that to themselves, or they might be addicted to this or that, but everyone has their own story and being homeless can happen to anyone, extremely quickly, especially in today's age with bills and the cost of living.
‘These guys here are doing an amazing job and I'm very grateful to be able to come here.’
Bettinelli, who saw some familiar-looking and very useful goalkeeper tops among the clothing ready to be handed out, has been a resident of the borough himself and was already well aware of the contrasting experiences of people in the borough. The players themselves are making a joint donation to the Wrap Up Warm fund being raised.
‘It is something else we take for granted, being lucky enough to have a roof over our heads,’ said Bettinelli. ‘Sadly, so many people don't have that luxury and what Michael and the team are doing here is an amazing thing, and hopefully Chelsea can give them resources they need to help everyone.
‘The players wanted to help with what Michael's doing - with clothes, with the food, whatever that is, especially with it being so close to Stamford Bridge. When we were giving out the clothes, a lot of the guys had Chelsea hats on and were Chelsea fans and even if they are not, we want to help make sure they are taken care of.’
Although clothes collections are now finished the fund remains open for financial donations.
Barons Court Project also has a range of Christmas cards on offer as part of Homeless Made, offering artwork created by people experiencing homelessness or mental health issues. Find out more on its web site.
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