LHFH HAS AN AUDIENCE WITH ELVIS COSTELLO

Elivis Costello Pledges

ONE of Liverpool’s great musical legends this week lent his support to LHFH.

Elivis Costello and Shannon Ledbetter

As a staunch supporter of Habitat for Humanity (HFH) in the United States, Elvis Costello offered his support to LHFH while in town for his homecoming gig at the Philharmonic Hall.

The worldwide superstar chatted with Rev Dr Shannon Ledbetter, chair of Liverpool HFH, and executive director Van Garber, pledging to help out at their site in the Granby-Toxteth district, where the not-for-profit organisation is building 32 new homes, next time he was in town.

Speaking after the meeting, Elvis, whose mother and grandparents hail from Liverpool, said: "What they're doing is great. It can become a symbol for the city. If they can get 32 houses built then why not 64?

"If people see it's something they can lend their efforts to, it's equal parts physical effort and equal parts philosophical."

Elvis, who attended St Francis Xavier Bilateral School, has previously backed the efforts of the global Habitat for Humanity organisation in New Orleans in the wake of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He performed at a huge benefit concert at New York's Madison Square Garden, from which a portion of the profits went towards supporting HFH's efforts to rebuild New Orleans.

In addition, he has travelled to "The Musicians Village" in New Orleans, an idea conceived by Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis, where HFH has rebuilt a community and preserved a culture by providing new homes for local musical artists who lost their previous homes when Katrina hit.

Despite being an affiliate of the global organisation, which is hugely well-supported in America and worldwide, Liverpool HFH faces an uphill climb to raise the funds it needs to get started on its next phases of development because it is completely self-funded. It relies on a combination of public funding and donations of money and gifts in kind from individuals, corporate and charitable trusts.

Shannon said: "It's fantastic to have the support of such an iconic musician as Elvis Costello. We were delighted that he took the time to hear about our ongoing work in Liverpool and will certainly be taking him up on his offer to help out on the building site next time he is in the area.

"We are in desperate need of further funding to get started on the next phase of the project. We don't receive any income from home owners' mortgages until the houses are built and legally completed, but we still have to fund the groundworks, roads, sewers, building costs, supervisory staff, materials and a host of other components upfront, which we simply cannot do without additional financial support.

"We offer a great opportunity for businesses from the Merseyside area and beyond - especially those in the housebuilding, construction and related service industries - to satisfy their Corporate Social Responsibility agenda."