fbpx
Skip to content

StreetSmart hit the £7million mark

StreetSmart have announced their latest fundraising total of £551,000 collected from 580 participating restaurants and hotels across the UK in 2014. This reveals an official total of £7.4 million raised to support the homeless since the charity started in 1998. Meanwhile, a new report by UK Department for Communities and Local Government has announced a 13% rise in homelessness across the UK last year and a 62% rise since 2010/11.

StreetSmart raises funds by adding £1 to each table’s bill at participating restaurants every November and December. It continues to be supported by high profile celebrities, chefs, restaurants UK-wide holding 47 Michelin Stars and 376 AA Rosettes between them. These venues include The River Café, The Grain Store, Polpo, Murano by Angela Hartnett,Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Terre a Terre in Brighton and The Kitchin in Edinburgh. Its sister campaign, SleepSmart, engages top hotels and guests in a similar way with £1 donated on each participating hotel’s bill.

“Every year StreetSmart grows as more and more restaurants catch onto the simplicity and splendour of the idea.  Britain is enriched by the quality of its restaurants, and now the restaurateur, chefs and their patrons are helping to enrich the lives of those caught in the misery of homelessness.” Stephen Fry

Supporters and benefactors celebrated the latest fundraising campaign at The Groucho Club last night over champagne and canapés by Henry Harris, consultant chef at The Groucho Club and long-time supporter of the charity.

StreetSmart’s nine year partnership with Deutsche Bank has been crucial to the campaign’s success, ensuring diners and hotel guests know all costs have been covered, so that every penny of each £1 donated goes straight to charity. In 2013, Deutsche Bank launched its youth engagement programme, , which in the UK; aims to break the cycle of youth unemployment. As a result, over half of StreetSmart’s fundraising will continue to support preventative and youth-focused projects aiming to end homelessness before it begins. The remaining support goes into addressing emergency needs for rough sleepers and the root causes of homelessness.

Commenting on the campaign, Lareena Hilton, Global Head of Brand Communications and Corporate Citizenship, Deutsche Bank said; “Deutsche Bank has supported StreetSmart since 2006 to ensure that every penny donated through the campaign goes straight to helping the homeless. It is fantastic to see the amount raised to date, knowing that it supports some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.”