Penny Appeal's Ice sculptures
Penny Appeal’s Ice Sculptures in Canary Wharf
On Monday 17th December, we gathered in the heart of the financial district – Canary Wharf train station – to shed light on one of the biggest issues facing the people of this country.
5 families become homeless every hour, right here in the UK.
We unveiled 5 ice sculptures to represent each of those families, and we gathered Baroness Warsi, Imam Ibrahim Mogra and Bishop Paul Hendricks to come together and ask… What Would Jesus (as) Do if he walked past a homeless person today?
Why Ice Sculptures…?
We’ve all walked past a homeless person before. We’ve all been too hurried, too nervous or just too desensitised to stop.
We wanted to do something to break us all out of our complacency and provoke people to really see the invisible people on our doorsteps, on the fringes of society. To remember that at this time of year, people are literally freezing on our streets, or in shelters which are crowded and underfunded. To think about the fact that these people are melting away; they will be gone by morning.
We don’t always see the homeless people here in the UK, especially in the winter when they may be sofa surfing or riding buses to stay warm. We as Penny Appeal chose to place our ice sculptures outside of the warm interiors of some of London’s biggest offices in Canary Wharf.
Our goal was to inspire people to notice – to really see – and to help a community which is often invisible, just as Jesus would do.
Penny Appeal’s ice sculptures prompted so many amazing responses. What will yours be?
What Would Jesus (as) Do if he saw Penny Appeal’s ice sculptures?
Whether you’re Muslim, Christian or you have no faith at all, we’re asking people to follow in the footsteps of a man we believe to be a Prophet – Jesus (as) – and show compassion and active kindness towards the homeless this winter.
What Would Jesus (as) Do?
‘It’s so important that people come and join Penny Appeal’s Team Orange and help us feed the homeless, or go online and donate to help homeless people on our doorsteps,’ our CEO, Aamer, spoke out during the event.
Thank you to all the diverse people and press who joined together to unveil Penny Appeal’s ice sculptures this Monday. They may have melted away by now, but we know that their message will not be forgotten.
We’re calling on all faiths and none to join together as part of Penny Appeal’s Team Orange and help the homeless this winter!
Why Penny Appeal unveiled ice sculptures in Canary Wharf…
“Why can’t you see me?
I’m sitting right here.
People walk by all the time.
They just look right through me.
By morning, I’ll be gone.
No one sees me. No one cares.”
FRIDAY 21 DEC 2018
