‘For so many people it is the heart of the community and now it’s been used to help others’
A new homeless charity is set to launch in a former Royal British Legion club(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A new charity that will ‘help the hundreds of people sleeping rough’ on Liverpool‘s streets is set to launch in a former Royal British Legion club on VE Day.
Kind-hearted Scouser Paul Melia, from Formby, is well-known for helping homeless people across Merseyside. In fact, it was only five years ago that the ECHO reported how the 48-year-old had given Anthony Kirby, 36 at the time, who was living on the streets in Skelmersdale, a job and somewhere to live.
Fast forward to 2025, and the businessman has begun taking over struggling social clubs at the heart of communities to stop them from shutting down for good. In his most recent business venture, Paul saved the former Royal British Legion club in Litherland and refurbished it.
And, the L21 Club in Litherland is set to open tomorrow, on the 80th anniversary of VE Day – and it will also be the home to a new charity, focused on helping homeless people and homeless veterans across the city.
Paul told the ECHO: “I took over the Royal British Legion because it closed down and was going under. I wanted to keep it going to keep it alive because we have members who rely on the club; it’s the heart of a community for some people.
The L21 Club has a community of 120 pensioners who visit each week(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“I’ve got a company called Rescue Solutions and basically I take over social clubs that are struggling. They [social clubs] have loads of history, some of them were founded over 100 years ago and they have just ran out of steam, but they have so many old members who rely on them – without them they would lose their community and its sad – so we buy them, do them up and keep them open.”
Paul says the L21 Club has a community of 120 pensioners who visit each week, and without it they would lose possibly their only forms of a community.
He said: “For many places and people social clubs are at the heart of the community, that could be the only time they get out of the house or see people that week.
“At our Litherland club we have over 50s nights where people up to the age of 90 come every week and that is all they have to look forward to. The support of the club from the locals is amazing and without it they would lose their community.”
Every Thursday the charity will put on an event costing a £2 entry fee(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Paul says his business is “all for Liverpool,” he said: “It’s important for the city, we’re doing a good thing.” Launching tomorrow the L21 Club will also be home to One Life Charity, which is a new CIC founded by Merseyside entertainers Tony Ravel, Ted Jive-Bunny Williams and Mick Dacat, and will support homeless people and homeless veterans across the city.
The 48-year-old old businessman added: “You see so many people on the streets, it’s heart breaking. The One Life Charity will be there to help the homeless and raise money for them.”
Every Thursday the charity will put on an event costing a £2 entry fee, where the entertainers will perform, there will be bingo, raffles and other events with all proceeds being donated to helping the homeless. The charity will be launched in the former Royal British Legion club on the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Entertainer and co-founder, Mick Dacat, said: “I’ve been an entertainer since 1975 and I’ve always participated in fundraising and helping homeless veterans. We want to bring goodness to the community so that is why we’re putting on this weekly night to help people in Liverpool.
“The money raised will be used for good causes. We eventually want to build soup kitchens across the city, we have so many ideas.”
VE Day – which stands for ‘Victory in Europe’ Day – marks the day when the German armed forces signed an unconditional surrender, and began the process of bringing the war to an end after nearly six years. And tomorrow, the day One Life Charity – a CIC founded to support homeless veterans – launches, will mark the 80th anniversary of the historic day.