Kind sole: Belfast man restores used football boots to be donated to homeless charity

Daniel Gardner (29) runs Trainer Rehab NI. It was set up last year after he left his job at Belfast International Airport due to a gambling addiction relapse — something he had been battling for almost 10 years.

An avid trainer-collector, Daniel had taught himself how to clean and restore his huge collection of Adidas sneakers through YouTube videos.

After word got out about his professional cleaning skills, he began to clean and refurbish shoes for friends and family whilst also working full-time.

Daniel, from Dunmurry, explained that being furloughed from work for nine months due to the pandemic saw him begin to start gambling again “as a way of getting through the day”.

“I’ve struggled with gambling since I was 19 or 20 years old and had been doing well up until after the pandemic, but I found it hard getting back into the workplace,” explained the father-of-two.

“I started to reach out for support for my gambling and took some time off work and I then slowly got back into cleaning trainers at home and realised how much focus and passion it gave me back in my life.

“I knew this is what I wanted to do, and if I can help someone else in the process I will.”

In 2023, he then decided to make it into a full-time business and, in just a year of being established, has already donated hundreds of pairs of shoes to help charities and those in need around Belfast.

“The campaign called ‘Soles of Belfast’ — inspired by a similar initiative in Stoke in England by another restorer — allowed us to donate around 600 pairs of shoes to different charities such as Hope Harbour and Belfast Homeless Services and a few independent soup kitchens as well,” he said.

“Once we receive donations of shoes in reasonable condition, which can be mucky or dirty and with or without laces, we will hand clean them and get them back to their former glory so a new owner can make use of them.”

Daniel said that his goal for this year is to donate 1,000 pairs of shoes and football boots to Street Soccer NI before Christmas — a charity set up to transform people’s lives through football.

Those benefitting from the charity include the homeless, unemployed, former prisoners, refugees or those living with mental health issues or addictions.

Weekly football sessions are run in Belfast, Coleraine, Londonderry, Bangor and Downpatrick including women’s football and learning disability football.

The charity also provides “wraparound care” for those living in temporary accommodation such as food bank or hygiene bank provision, crisis utility support and employability support.

Grainne Connor from Street Soccer NI said that without donations of trainers or football boots those who benefit from the charity can’t take part in the sports initiatives they offer.

“Boots are expensive and without them people can’t take part, we simply couldn’t keep up with the demand for them,” she explained.

“We don’t have a budget for things like trainers; we rely completely on donations to our clothing bank, but with the cost-of-living crisis donations have slowed unfortunately with both clothing and food items.

“People are holding onto items longer or don’t have as much to share, so our need has grown.”

Anyone looking to donate a pair of trainers or football boots can contact Daniel directly on all social media platforms by searching for Trainer Rehab NI or contact Street Soccer NI on Facebook and Instagram.