Northampton man restores old trainers for town's homeless

Liam Wood started restoring trainers in January 2022

A man has turned his love of trainers into a way of giving back to the community by restoring and donating them to people in need.

Liam Wood, from Northampton, launched his Good Soles project last year.

He has since given more than 70 pairs of renewed footwear to homeless people in the town with support from the Northampton Hope Centre.

"Trainers are a way to express yourself," he said. "It can help give people dignity and confidence."

The 34-year-old said he had always had an interest in trainers but only began restoring them as a hobby in January 2022.

Good Soles has so far restored more than 70 pairs of trainers

Mr Wood says he had been inspired by similar schemes in Stoke-on-Trent and London.

"I wanted to put my passion of trainers back into the community." he said.

"In the current climate it's tough for people and trainers are an extravagant purchase sometimes.

"As long as they are structurally intact we can work with that. Even if there are holes in the uppers or even if the sole is coming away a little bit."

Liam Wood said he had been inspired to start the scheme by social media

Since setting up the scheme, a year ago, Mr Wood has restored more than 70 pairs of shoes that would otherwise be destined for landfill.

"I work full-time and have a family, so I do this at the weekends and in the evenings. It can be quite time consuming in terms of cleaning the trainers and collecting them." he said.

"But it's always interesting to see how they end up, you never know until you start. It's always a trial and error process. Sometimes they look easy and they're not!"

Mr Wood says there are a lot of techniques that can help restore footwear to its former glory

Louise Danielczuk from the Hope Centre, said: "Good Soles is an absolutely brilliant project that has put many smiles on the faces of those using the Hope service.

"To receive trainers that are, to all intents and purposes, new is such a boost for our service users and we absolutely love working on this project with Liam."

Anyone wishing to donate a pair of trainers to Good Soles can do so by dropping them off at a collection point at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, or by contacting the Hope Centre.

The Hope Centre is located on Ash Street, just outside Northampton town centre