Soccer AM presenter Max Rushden and regular volunteer is auctioning his car to raise money for our shelter.
Max has donated the 2001 Renault Clio Alize for sale on celebrity auction website
Sellebrity, run by former Norwich City and Leicester City footballer Darren Eadie. All the proceeds will go to help Shelter from the Storm.
“Darren was tweeting about Sellebrity and I just thought it would be funny, and great for the charity, if I gave them my car,” said Max, 33.
“It’s the first car I ever drove – it belonged to my mate John who bought it new when we were at sixth form. I bought it off him and spent four years hosting Soccer AM getting abuse because other people were turning up in Porsches and what have you. But I love it and I’m sure whoever buys it will love it.”
Max, who worked in radio for BBC London, 5Live and TalkSport before landing the Soccer AM job, was introduced to Shelter from the Storm by a friend.
“I did some charity stuff in Africa for a week, building stuff and helping out orphans and kids with HIV, but it wasn’t sustainable to pop to South Africa every week to help out,” he said.
“I wanted to do something sustainable and local to home, and a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to come down to the shelter. I really enjoyed it; I enjoy cooking and it’s a real challenge to see what you’ve got to cook with and trying to make the best thing you can with it.
“I’m learning all the time and as you go on you get more involved. It’s an emergency shelter so the people there literally have nowhere to go and that’s where they end up. There’s a huge variety of people there, from 18 to 80, people born and bred in London and others from all over the world.
“I mainly chop onions and gossip while someone else does all the hard work, but over the past year or so I’ve got to know the people staying there, and really believe in what the shelter does in trying to help them get into a position where they can get a job, and somewhere to live and get back into normal life, if you like.
“There are so many things that we need – the beds are just camp beds so it would be great to get more beds in there. You have to remember that this is where they are living so hopefully there’s more we can do in terms of making it more like a home, even like having a decent TV. I know there are more important things in life, but those things make a difference if someone’s been out on the streets all day.”
As well as the car, a 2001 metallic blue Renault Clio Alize with 69,000 miles on the clock, the buyer will inherit the contents of Max’s boot, including a Charlton Athletic home shirt signed by Dennis Rommedahl, a Celtic home shirt, a book by John Niven, golf balls, tees, and a selection of mix tapes made by former Chesterfield striker Martin Gritton.
Former England under 21 international Eadie said: “We’re extremely grateful to Max for letting us auction his car for such a worthy cause – I hope he’s now driving something that won’t show him up in his celebrity-filled car park!”
Over Christmas, we have been overwhelmed by the kindness of people who have opened their hearts – and their wallets – for Shelter from the Storm.
