Leeds celebrity chef Matt Healy joins forces with Homeless Street Angels to provide 'lifesaving' cooking lessons

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A celebrity chef has joined forces with Leeds to provide cooking lessons for people affected by homelessness. 

Matt Healy, the chef patron of Forde in Horsforth and 2016 finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals, will be delivering cooking lessons for people supported by the Homeless Street Angels. 

Sessions will begin in December, following the launch of Abi House in Seacroft, a long-term dream of founders Becky and Shelley Joyce, on November 29.

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Named after their sister who died when the charity was established in 2017, Abi House will help those affected by homelessness access life skills, advice, furniture and more.

Becky and Shelley Joyce.Becky and Shelley Joyce.
Becky and Shelley Joyce.

It will also be home to a food bank, in response to the growing number of people on the charity’s register.  

It was Matt’s wife Holly who initially reached out to help Abi House to come to life, offering to help build kitchen facilities at the new base. 

During a visit, Becky told the Yorkshire Evening Post that Matt realised that he could also help in his own way. 

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Becky said: “They didn't want recognition for it. They just wanted to support and help.” 

Shelley added: “Because a lot of our clients are struggling to afford to eat, Matt will be showing them the basics like making pasta, Yorkshire puddings, cheap alternatives to make at home themselves, which will be really good. We're hoping it will get quite popular.”

Matt will be joined by many other big names offering support for people affected by homelessness, including journalist Christa Marion Ackroyd who will be conducting a writing workshop and fitness enthusiast Sophie Mei Lan Malin who will be running belly dancing sessions.

Her husband Danny Malin, the star of Rate My Takeaway, will also be getting involved. 

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Becky said: “The heart of Abi House is teaching our guys life skills. One of our ex service users explained that the worst bit about being homeless was the boredom. 

“From morning to night, you just don't know what you're going to do with yourself, sitting on the street, so this will all give them something to do during the daytime.”

Shelley added: “We've been fundraising for eight years for this, and it's literally taken almost every penny we've got. 

“So we are filled with anxiety at the moment in regards to the future of the charity, but we are trusting the universe. We are manifesting!”

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The sisters moved into the new site over the weekend and are set for a soft launch next week. And running into a number of issues from broken heating to faulty fire alarm systems has only made the sister’s more determined to get Abi House off the ground. 

Shelley said: “We've been decorating it for three weeks, and it's literally been like our own version of DIY SOS Abi House. 

“We have been so exhausted, physically and mentally. 

“We have literally been waking up all hours of the night, messaging each other with photographs of filing cabinets, signage and things like that. 

“We've been so busy that we’ve not had the chance to sort of sit down and grasp that we've actually reached our dreams.”

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Shelley continued: “There's been times where, for example, we went to IKEA a couple of weeks ago and I ended up vomiting in the toilets from exhaustion. 

“There's been times where I've sat at my desk, crying. There's been times when Becky's been exhausted and ended up on a drip in hospital. 

“It’s been non-stop. But I know on the opening day, when we've got all our friends and family there, all the clients, all the people we've been networking with and the Lord Mayor, I know then it will finally hit us and it will be very emotional. It really will.”

Becky said: “It's a legacy to Abi, as well. This is going to help people and save lives, and that's all we ever wanted in Abi’s name.”

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Homeless Street Angels will be launching its annual Christmas rucksack appeal. They will be collecting gifts that will be handed out on Christmas Eve. They will also be provided with a Christmas dinner, as well as the usual essential supplies.

Find out more information about Homeless Street Angels via the official website and social media channels.

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