Former England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams delivered an inspiring talk on Wednesday 20 March to formerly homeless men and woman currently living at local homelessness charity Emmaus Greenwich.
The arsenal football legend met with current Emmaus residents, staff, trustees and volunteers at the charity’s site in Plumstead and spoke about his battle with alcoholism alongside his football career. Also in attendance was the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Christine May, who has selected Emmaus Greenwich as her charity of the year.
Emmaus Greenwich offers a home for as long as needed to 34 men and women who have experienced homelessness due to a variety of reasons including family breakdown, addiction, mental health issues, and job loss.
As founder of Sporting Chance Clinic and co-author of Addicted and Sober, Tony Adams is committed to raising awareness and helping active and retired sports professionals who are struggling with addiction, bereavement, depression, and anxiety. Tony draws from his own experience with alcoholism, which led him to create Sporting Chance Clinic and offer a safe, dedicated environment where others could receive support.
Emmaus Greenwich works with people who may have experienced similar issues which either led them to become homeless or occurred because of homelessness. The charity is keen to provide a stable living environment as well as support its residents in all areas of their life and regularly invite speakers to motivate and inspire them.
Chief Executive at Emmaus Greenwich, Tony Bradbury, said:
“Tony gave an extremely open, honest, and moving account of his childhood struggle with low self-esteem and insecurities and spoke of how he found a coping mechanism through football at which he excelled, and later alcohol. Not avoiding the grim reality that alcoholism can bring, Tony’s talk resonated with residents and staff alike. I would like to thank him for visiting our community and for taking the time to chat to residents, have photos and sign t-shirts. We wish him all the best with his wonderful Sporting Chance charity.”
Emmaus Greenwich offers an alternative route out of homelessness within a supportive environment. Those supported at the community live together and help to manage the charity’s three shops in Lee, Plumstead and Poplar which gives them the opportunity to learn new skills and in turn raises funds to run the charity. The ultimate aim of Emmaus is to help formerly homeless men and women to regain their self-resect and in due course move back into mainstream society.
To find out more about how you can get involved with Emmaus Greenwich, please visit www.emmaus.org.uk/greenwich.
