An invitation from a golf club to former Stoke City manager Lou Macari to talk about the work of his homelessness foundation led to a funding grant of £90,000 for the charity.

Leek Golf Club Ladies Captain Gill Damjanovic asked Lou to speak to members about his life in football and the Macari Foundation which for the past decade has provided accommodation for homeless people in Stoke-on-Trent.

Around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year, The Macari Centre in Stoke town centre gives safe shelter, food and life changing – in some cases life-saving – support for people who would otherwise be sleeping rough on the streets.

The audience at the golf club event were impressed to hear of the tireless efforts of Lou and his team in delivering the much-needed service over the years. Those listening included member Mick Wallace who had a contact with a national funding body.

Mick’s brother Patrick is a senior Trustee of The Forbes Charitable Foundation which funds good causes throughout the UK. The Foundation has a policy of not accepting unsolicited funding bids but instead invites suitable organisations to make grant applications.

A “chance conversation” between Mick and his brother, convinced Patrick that the Macari Foundation deserved to be added to a “long list” of charities considered for grants.

Competing against strong bids from other organisations, the Macari Foundation made a comprehensive application for funding to finance an innovative education and training programme for its residents.

The programme, which builds on existing support services, puts in place education and training packages of the highest quality to develop residents’ life skills and employment skills. The aim is to prepare residents for a move away from the Macari Centre onto independent living.

The Macari bid was successful and The Forbes Charitable Foundation agreed to finance the project with a £30,000 a year grant for three years, starting this summer.

And the Forbes grant aid was not the only financial boost the Macari Foundation received as a result of Lou’s Leek Golf Club talk. Mrs Damjanovic, Ladies Captain in 2025, presented Lou with a £4,000 cheque with most of the money raised by ticket sales, a prize raffle and an auction on the night of the talk.

She said: “We are delighted to support such a worthy cause as the Macari Foundation. It was a fantastic night and Lou was brilliant. We got a lot of feedback and some of the attendees said it was the best night they had ever had at our club. That it led to the Forbes grant aid is a lovely bonus.”

Lou, who was an acclaimed midfield player for Celtic, Manchester United and Scotland, said: “We always greatly appreciate the support we receive from the North Staffordshire community and Leek Golf Club members have been tremendous.

“The Forbes grant will be very significant in helping us to achieve our ultimate aim of enabling as many homeless people as we can to turn round their lives and move to independent living.”

Patrick Wallace said: “The Macari Foundation and its education and training project are an ideal fit for The Forbes Charitable Foundation and they met all our funding criteria.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT MACARI FOUNDATION OPERATIONS MANAGER PAUL MACARI TELEPHONE 01782 845979 OR MOBILE 07899 842270.