Big hearted EK charity workers win holiday of a lifetime

Jan 27 2010 by Lynda Nicol, East Kilbride News

AN EAST Kilbride couple who carry out voluntary work among destitute people in Glasgow have won themselves a cruise worth £3000.

Mechelle and Martin Kerr, from Greenhills won themselves the star prize in the Passport to Paradise promotion run by an East Renfrewshire shopping centre.

And this week they were described by the manager of that shopping centre as the most “deserving couple” the centre could have wished as winners.

The pair, who are regular shoppers at The Avenue Shopping Centre in Newton Mearns, entered one of the centre’s promotional competitions in the run-up to Christmas.

And they were astounded on Christmas Day to receive a telephone call from the marketing manager telling them they were the winners.

This week Mechelle had the happy task of picking up the documents for their luxury trip from shopping centre manager Karl Holmes, co-sponsors Thomas Cook’s manager Jacqui Millar and business development manager of MSC Cruises, Hazel Mansell.

Mechelle said: “We were completely overwhelmed when we won. When my husband took the call on Christmas Day he thought I’d put a friend up to it for a laugh until eventually he was convinced after all the details were explained.

“We have never won anything in our lives and have never even entered a competition. We noticed the little passports in the mall and decided to enter, even though we could have entered many times we kept forgetting to get it stamped so we only entered once and obviously that was enough. We are so excited and this really couldn’t have come at a better time for us.”

Martin and Mechelle have been undertaking voluntary work with homeless people and prostitutes in Glasgow City Centre for 14 years.

In the last two years, they have worked every night, taking their car into town and making themselves available as a support network for anyone who needs them and forfeiting any chance of a holiday.

On Fridays, they work on an outreach bus providing a safe haven and serving tea, coffee and food.

Centre manager Karl Holmes said: “We couldn’t have wished for a more deserving couple to take the star prize.

“Mr and Mrs Kerr are a lovely couple, who have selflessly dedicated their lives reaching out to people and helping those in need. In order to do this they have given up a lot including holidays, so it only makes this all the more special for them.”

He continued “We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors Cruise Thomas Cook and MSC Cruises who helped make this possible.”