HOMELESS MAN PLAYS WITH SNOOKER LEGEND:
ASNOOKER-MAD homeless man got the chance to play with one of the sport’s greats - after wowing volunteers at a Christmas dinner organised by the poet Lemn Sissay.
Tyler Hunter has been homeless since August 2015, getting by with the help of friends and family and ‘sofa surfing’.
The 25-year-old, who was in care from the age of seven, attended the Manchester Christmas Dinner run by Mr Sissay, also a care leaver, and Stockport charity Pure Insight, who help people who have left care.
He showed off his skills on a pool table at the dinner, and one of the volunteers managed to connect him with six time world champion Steve Davis and arranged a signed cue.
Steve, who was at the Steven Charles snooker centre launching new snooker lessons for youngsters alongside Corrie star Qasim Akhtar, met with Tyler and played alongside him.
It came as Tyler was made homeless again the same day, after being moved out of his current accommodation.
Tyler, who said being homeless ‘makes you want to cry’, admitted to having stolen items from shops in the past to be able to afford to feed himself and his girlfriend.
He said: “Being homeless is never fun, you have got to try and find things to motivate yourself and push forward, and try and better myself.
“The only person that can really help is you when it comes down to it.
“There are organisations out there like Pure Insight who are helping me to be housed and have a stable job.
“But it has been a real struggle, every day is a struggle.”
Sarah Sturmey, operations manager at Pure Insight, said: “Many care leavers like Tyler are facing tough circumstances such as homelessness, we know that little glimmers of hope are so important in keeping a young person moving forwards.
“Tyler is working with one of our mentors to overcome the complex issues he faces around housing.”
Snooker champion Steve added: “I have spent a bit of time in Manchester over the last few months and walking around Manchester, I couldn’t believe it, there’s a frightening amount of people on the streets.
“I don’t know the back story to every one of them, but there’s a reason why in every case.
“Sometimes you’ve just fallen out of society somehow.”
‘There’s a frightening amount of people on the streets’