Blackpool charity transforms bus into mobile homeless shelter

Abbie and Mark Butcher said the emergency bus will save lives

A homeless charity said its emergency night bus project to help people in "dire straits" will "save lives".

Blackpool charity Amazing Graze has created The Big Red Emergency Night Bus to help people who find themselves in sudden need of help.

Mark Butcher, who founded a soup kitchen in the town 10 years ago, said the bus was a "game changer".

"I know the absolute stark consequences of being homeless and rough sleeping in the cold weather," he said.

"The bus will be here to help people who are in emergencies, if they are running from domestic violence, people who might have been released from hospital early, people could have been released from prison without a place to stay. The bus is here to help those people."

The bus is in the final stages of being kitted out

The double-decker bus features 10 sleeping pods in separate male and female areas, washing facilities and an eating area.

The bus will also feature security cameras and will be manned by trained volunteers who will work to help visitors secure accommodation or appointments for alcohol and drug abuse.

Darren Critchley, from Odyssey Coach Sales, who donated the bus, said "this vehicle will save lives".

Abbie Butcher from Amazing Graze said the bus will be a lifeline

"We're all only three mortgage payments away from the street," he said.

"People sometimes have a negative view of the homeless, but every one of them is somebody's brother, sister, son, daughter, mum or dad. They've just found themselves in a bad place."

Abbie Butcher from Amazing Graze added: "We want to be that little lifeline that gives them that boost up and that helping hand."