A charity with volunteers from Radlett, Watford and Rickmansworth has set out to raise money for homeless people in London.
Artist Shoshana Gilmore has spent eight years helping the capital’s homeless alongside her husband, Lloyd, through their registered charity Help 4 the Homeless.
Next month, the 56 year old will combine her passions for the second time in a bid to raise much-needed funds, with at least 30 pieces of art on show at her Invisible People in Pain Sight exhibition at her Euston studio.
Her first exhibition in 2019 raised hundreds of pounds, but Shoshana is hoping to raise even more on Tuesday, March 11, to help towards the enormous cost of running the charity.
She said: “We’re spending up to £3,000 a month on food and clothing for the homeless. People donate clothing, but the majority comes from those who have lost weight so it’s all too big for homeless people. We have to buy clothing, food and toiletries for them.”
Each Thursday, Shoshana, Lloyd and their loyal band of helpers head to Central London to hand out food and clothing and spend time with the dozens of rough sleepers they meet. The volunteers transport food in a donated refrigerated lorry and clothing in a transit van, which was also given to them.
Shoshana spends most of her week on charity work and uses the time at her art studio to relax.
She said: “My interest in the homeless was sparked by seeing someone sheltering in a park. He was cocooned in a sleeping bag and had arranged his belongings so neatly, that it caught my eye as an artist.
“It made me want to help and, after starting in Watford, I moved on with Lloyd to visiting the West End every Thursday.
“Soon after we started travelling into town, I saw an old lady with grey curly hair, sitting in a doorway in a shop. I didn’t speak to her that night but I thought about her for days and, incredibly, we have seen her every time we’ve been up since. She’s become our elderly friend on the street.
“We’ve given away tons of clothes and handed out food to at least 30 people each week. We don’t stay in one spot; we visit people where we know they sleep.”
There is no charge to visit the exhibition, which will run from 2pm to 10pm at 105a Studios on Euston Street on Tuesday, March 11, and a percentage of the proceeds from sales will go to Help 4 the Homeless.
Visit Shoshanagilmore.art for more information.
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