IT’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas as carollers descend on Melbourne for a 24-hour singing marathon.
The Salvos’ little helpers will be rockin’ around Flinders St station clocks non-stop from 6am this Friday to 6am on Saturday.
Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said he aimed to sing the entire day.
“I just see the importance of getting this money through so I’m going to have a crack at it,” he said.
Maj Nottle said while Christmas was one of the happiest times for some, it could also be one of the loneliest for others.
“People remember what they don’t have,” he said.
“Often people realise they’re going to be alone over Christmas and that causes a lot of stress. Come this time of year, we see a lot of people who really want someone to speak to.”
In the lead-up to Christmas, the number of homeless looking for a feed at the Salvos’ city cafe has more than doubled, from 120 to 250 people.
“The demand at Bourke St is through the roof,” Major Nottle said.
“There’s definitely an increase in the number of people we see, there’s no doubt about that.”
Please visit 10thousandmeals.org.au to donate a meal for $10 and make a difference in someone’s life this Christmas.
Source: Herald Sun / The Salvation Army
Image Source: Jaye Turnbull, Anne-Marie Williams, Brendan Nottle, Mark Williams and Joshua Stone are aiming for a 24-hour singing marathon. (Picture: Ian Currie.)
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.