Homeless people in Bath will be able to have a warm bed and a roast dinner on Christmas Day thanks to the generosity of a woman whose brother was looked after at Julian House.
Geraldine Marsh, 49, donates £60 every December for 20 people to stay in the Julian House night shelter on Christmas Eve and have a cooked dinner on the day itself.
She started this seven years ago, when her brother Darren Waldie, who died in 2006 at the age of 35, was staying at the shelter.
Mrs Marsh said: "What is £60 really?
"Christmas is a special time, and I wanted people who have no home to have somewhere to go and a nice meal on the day."
Mr Waldie's life had started to spiral out of control after a relationship ended, and that coupled with the death of his mother marked the start of his descent into alcoholism and drug abuse.
Because of this he lost everything, including his children, home and job, and found himself on the streets.
Mrs Marsh, who recently cut the ribbon on new facilities at Julian House, said: "All it takes is for one thing to go wrong and your life can spiral out of control very fast."
Mrs Marsh could not have her brother to stay, as she has two young children, but she worried about him constantly, and bought him a mobile phone so they could keep in touch.
She was relieved when he started staying at Julian House, and said: "Julian House is wonderful, and the charity supports homeless people with all aspects of their lives.
"It is so important to support Julian House, as you never know if you or a friend or relative may one day need their help.
"The new shelter is wonderful, and I was so proud to have been asked to cut the ribbon.
"It will greatly benefit people, with more privacy and the fact that it is open 24 hours."
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