The woman from Manchester giving out stacks of sandwiches this Christmas

An Ardwick woman is being praised by friends and family after volunteering to help those struggling through the winter by herself.

Andrea Bates, 57, is using her Christmas to help those who will be homeless by donating sandwiches and drinks.

The part-time child minder has been involved with soup kitchens for almost three years, however, this year she has prepared many sandwiches and will pass around the food on Christmas.

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The majority of Andrea’s family are celebrating Christmas abroad, however, Andrea is doing the complete opposite.

She said: “If I can help people, why not? Homeless people are dying on the street from the cold and no one wants to do anything about it.

“The fact people are actually dying? The government really needs to do something about this, this is what I can do, it isn’t much but a hot drink will help.

“I’ve made tons of sandwiches and wrapped them up so they are good to go. I’ll also be taking a huge thermos with lots of plastic cups which I’ll be able to store in hot drinks. I’m planning to make some turkey sandwiches in the spirit of Christmas.”

Andrea had previously lived in The Netherlands before moving to Manchester in 1997. She was involved with soup kitchens there when she was younger.

“I had to do some volunteering in The Netherlands for a specific qualification there and I think that was the first time I was involved in something like that.

“The one reason I wanted an article out of it is to just spread the message. If you can help why not? Even if