HIBERNIAN FC have been applauded for their “worthy” initiative after opening the doors to their stadium and inviting people in for a free lunch.
The Leith side are piloting a ten week scheme beginning today that will see them offer the use of Easter Road for the local community and those in need.
The club are also looking to provide wi-fi, tablet devices and a PlayStation as well as a book swap, clothing bank and board games that can be found in the North Stand above the club shop.
There will also be a pool table for those who prefer the green baize to the grass pitch and a cue in their hand rather than a ball at their feet for the weekly event which runs from 12:30pm-3pm.
The pilot – called ‘Club Together’ – hopes to see as many people as possible come down to the stadium and get out of the house to enjoy food and warmth.
The club’s community trust has been praised online for their efforts with social media users quick to comment.
One said: “Well done, fantastic and worthy thing to do.”
Another added: “Well done, good thing to do.”
A third replied: “That’s a good idea for people.”
Another commented : “Wonderful.”
Lewis Melee, Hibs Head of Community, said today: “The [Hibs] Foundation works with the club and we use the branding of the club.
“We are known for our outreach at Christmas but we want to extend those provisions, we also work with the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) Trust.
“They give funding and we have used the funding to have a ten week pilot whereby people can come to Easter Road and get a hot meal.
“We just want to offer that support service, we had a soft launch last week and we had 49 people attend.
“We usually do a lunch on a Monday and get around 30 people a week to that, we are aware that people might not get out as much .
“We hope to get a real mix of individuals and are open to everybody – we want people to understand that there is no shame in needing help.
“People can also show up when they want for the whole thing or just for half an hour to pick up some food.
“There are no obligations, if it sorts dinner for someone they can come along and take some meals.
“We have the provisions to make the meals and we want people to come along and help themselves, to use our heating instead of their own for a few hours.”
