Highlighting homelessness with the beautiful game
A SPECIAL book featuring football-related poetry has been launched in Lochgilphead.
Compiled by Sharon Wilkie-Jones of social project ArgyllSHARE, the collection of poems by football folk aims to highlight an often-hidden problem of rural homelessness.
Co-founded in 2015 by Sharon, SHARE began life as a social project at Bolton Sixth Form College. Since moving to Argyll with husband Sandy, ArgyllSHARE has been set up as a focus for using creative arts to challenge and change perceptions about homelessness.
The book, entitled ‘A Game of Two Halves: Football Tackling Homelessness’, was launched in a joint celebration at Lochgilphead Parish Church Hall on Friday May 25 with Grub’s Up recovery cafe, which is celebrating its first birthday.
Between musical entertainment by the Easy Club band, ‘Highland John’ read some of his own poetic compositions and Sharon spoke movingly about the reasons for creating ArgyllSHARE before reciting a poem from the book by former Kilmarnock footballer Jim Doherty.
Sharon said: ‘We are committed to making a positive long-term difference to life in Argyll and remain committed to our aims of being not-forprofit, inclusive, welcoming and non-judgemental.’
ArgyllSHARE this season became a shirt sponsor for Lochgilphead Red Star AFC, newly-crowned SAFL Premier Division Two champions.