Evelyn provides foot clinic for homeless people during 10th anniversary of Crisis Edinburgh
A podiatry lecturer from Queen Margaret University is giving up her time over the Christmas period to provide specialist footcare for homeless people in Edinburgh.
While the rest of the country is celebrating the festivities, Evelyn Weir, from Haddington, will offer a full range of podiatric services as part of the wider Crisis Edinburgh initiative.
Now in its 10th year, Evelyn has been volunteering with the homeless initiative Crisis Edinburgh since it started in the capital a decade ago. But helping people on the streets is now part of Evelyn’s DNA – she has been providing specialist foot services for homeless people in the Lothians for nearly 30 years and was recently awarded with the Alf Morris Award from the Royal College of Podiatry for her many years of volunteering with the homeless community, and her encouragement of podiatry students to follow in her footsteps. The Award is made annually in recognition of those who have made an exceptional contribution to the podiatric care of disadvantaged communities or individuals.
This year, Evelyn will volunteer her time on Christmas Day to provide a full range of podiatry treatments, as well as offering warm footbaths and free socks to the homeless community. She will also be out on Boxing Day, and other days over the festive period, delivering food supplies for the project.
As well as offering much needed foot care, the Crisis Edinburgh festive event on Christmas Day will offer homeless people haircuts from a team of volunteer barbers, a warm place to spend the day, and a hot Christmas meal.
Evelyn Weir, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Lead in the Master of Podiatry team at Queen Margaret University, explained:
"I am passionate about doing what I can to support the Crisis Edinburgh initiative and about helping the homeless community in Scotland. Footcare for the homeless is particularly important at this time of year. People who have no fixed place to stay can end up walking for miles every day in all kinds of weather. However, they often don’t have a change of good quality footwear or a stock of warm, clean socks. All of these issues, combined with the fact that they may stand around or sleep on hard pavements in the cold, damp and wet, and have nowhere to store dry shoes and socks, can lead to significant foot problems. I am pleased that we can provide some much-needed specialist footcare to the community over the festive period, as well as some kindness and humanity, particularly when things are increasingly challenging during the cost-of-living crisis."
"I am also particularly grateful to Queen Margaret University which has always been so supportive of my work with Crisis Edinburgh, and has provided specialist podiatric equipment and supplies for the foot clinic. Being in a position to provide an important healthcare service to the homeless community, and to give a little piece of yourself to people who often report that they feel invisible, makes Christmas all the more meaningful."
Sir Paul Grice, Principal of Queen Margaret University, said:
"We are delighted to support Evelyn Weir in her work with Crisis as she embodies the values of the University by using her skills, knowledge and warm personality to be a force for good. Her selfless acts of kindness and her compassion for the homeless community and others, makes her an inspiration to students and everyone who knows her at Queen Margaret University."
Notes to Editor
Notes to Editor
Find out more about Crisis Edinburgh at www.crisis.org.uk/get-help/edinburgh/
Find out more about Evelyn Weir, Lecturer in Podiatry at Queen Margaret University, at Evelyn Weir.
For more media information contact Lynne Russell, Communications Manager, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, E: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk (copy to E: pressoffice@qmu.ac.uk) M: 07711 011239.
