LOCKDOWN LEADER: Lance Birchall
When trainer mad Lance Birchall lost his job last march, he used his passion to help the homeless . . .
There’s a saying about empathy, ‘To walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes.’ Lance Birchall, from Stoke-on-Trent, goes even further – he restores unwanted and unloved trainers to their original glory and donates them to the homeless.
His mission started after the 25-year-old lost his job, like so many during the pandemic, back in March 2020. “I was just sat there, not knowing what to do, with a young son and no money coming in,” he told press. But Lance wasn’t one to sit on his hands for long. “I decided to focus on something that I knew I was good at, so I made the LB_Restorations Instagram page.” Restoring trainers mighty have started off as a hobby, something he used to do for his mates, but now there was a real social purpose to it; particularly during an era that has seen millions of volunteers stepping up to the plate.
The scheme, Soles of Stoke, sees him lovingly restoring old pairs of worn-out shoes, the kind that would otherwise end up in a landfill site somewhere. He begins by dry cleaning them, then goes over them with a brush, before they receive a final deep clean and a steam. He repeats the process until they look “as good as new”. He then donates them to the city’s homeless, in something close to their original condition.
“I can do absolutely any trainer,” he says. “It will help people who don't have anything.” Meanwhile, his GoFundMe page ask for donations towards the cost of the restoration, while any additional funds goes towards going towards meals and sleeping bags for the city’s homeless. I just want to be able to give back to the community and use my skills to do something positive,” he says. “Since my son was born last year, I want to set a good example to him.”
It’s something of a lifelong passion for Lance, who has collected trainers since he was a teenager. He currently owns what he calls “a stupid amount of trainers” – over 50 pairs – and his favourite brand is Adidas. As he told Stoke on Trent Live, “I fell in love with trainers and designer clothing when I was about 14 and since then I've just been building on my collection.” He particularly likes collecting vintage pre-2000s. “I’ve got some Copenhagens from 1982 and Viennas from 1995,” he said. “They stay on the shelf for decoration – I definitely wouldn’t wear them out!”