A WINTER night shelter to make sure no-one will have to sleep rough in Blackpool over the Millennium was opened this week.

The shelter on Talbot Road will lay out the welcome mat for people who might otherwise find themselves out in the cold.

Housing charities Crisis and Shelter joined forces with Manchester Methodist Housing Association and Blackpool Council to set up the centre to help the homeless.

It will provide people with a bed, washing facilities, a kitchen and dining room and a health check.

Open from 9pm each night to 9am the following morning, the shelter will operate until the end of March 2000.

Blackpool is one of 13 towns and cities across the UK to take part in a campaign by Crisis and Shelter to tackle street homelessness.

Blackpool Council social services executive Coun Sue Wright said: "We support this scheme wholeheartedly. It will get people off the streets and give them somewhere warm and dry to go at the worst time of year.

"The council has been working with the government's Task Force on Rough Sleeping and with other agencies to tackle homelessness.

"We have found that if we can get homeless people into hostels with health, social care and other supporting services it can often be a stepping stone back to normal life." Crisis chief executive Shaks Ghosh added: "Crisis tries to help at every stage of homelessness and in every location, from city to town, from rural area to seaside town.

"We are very pleased to be opening in Blackpool and it will help people realise that this problem does not only exist in the big cities."

The shelter will be run by a team of staff but the organisations involved are also looking for volunteers to provide additional help. Full training and supervision will be provided.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer telephone (01253) 305931.

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