TOMMY ANDERSON is a working-class bloke from Scotland who made his home in London.

Thanks to him and a small group of volunteers, 25 homeless people in Waltham Forest in north-east London are getting three meals a day and a roof over their heads at night.

It hasn’t been easy. It involved taking over a small, disused dairy to turn into a shelter for homeless people. 

But first there was the small matter of clearing 50 tons of rubbish and wreckage to make the building usable. That meant hiring 12 skips which had to be paid for.

Then Tommy and his mates brought in tents and sheds which they put up inside the building for overnight accommodation.

The team now faces being made to leave the site by Waltham Forest Council on the grounds of “unauthorised change of use” of the building, even though they had the permission and co-operation of the property’s owner.

The threat to the project resulted in protests from Waltham Trade Union Council and other supporters, plus a petition on the change.org campaign website.

The project is appealing for funds for potential court action, but also to maintain its work with homeless people. More volunteers would also be a big help.

Tommy is 66 and is president of Waltham Forest TUC. He was born on the Scottish island of Iona, moved to Glasgow looking for work and ended up working in London.

“I’m a dustman,” he told Campaign of the Week.

The volunteers call it the Parker Project, named after the premises — Parker Dairies.

“It started on April 27,” said Tommy. “As you know we’re in the middle of a crisis. I started to work as a volunteer at a little cafe called Eggs and Bread in Wood Street in Walthamstow, feeding homeless people.

“We were getting so many people coming to the cafe for breakfast, and we found that they were being missed out of the Covid-19 rescue package for the homeless.

“So me and the guy who runs the cafe decided to use the local dairy that had been closed down. We got permission off the owner.

“We had to clear 50 tons of rubbish. We managed to get some money from the unions — Unite, Unison, UCU, everyone. We had a small army of people.

“We got the place up and running. Now we have 25 people there that can sleep in tents and sheds. I set up Tommy’s Kitchen to do meals three times a day.

“Sometimes we get donations, sometimes we have to do some fundraising. Now we’re appealing for funds.

“I’m trying to raise awareness in the local community about the plight of the homeless. These are people you’ll see in the street.”

The shelter also has a work project to bring in funds.

“We’re doing furniture recycling,” said Tommy. “Wardrobes, televisions, whatever — and we will repair them, put them on our website and ask people to buy them.”

To donate or volunteer, or to support the campaign against being made to shut down, contact Tommy on 07506 733-392, email [email protected] or go to mstar.link/FeedHomelessFundraiser.