Now's your chance to bid for them in the world's largest celebrity shoe auction and help children out of poverty
This year, Kate Moss, Joanna Lumley, Helena Christensen and Bonnie Wright are just a handful of the celebrities who have stepped forward to donate their most treasured pair of shoes to be auctioned off for the Small Steps Project. With previous celebrity donors including Emma Watson and Oprah Winfrey, this is an unmissable opportunity to get your hands on some designer celebrity footwear.
The charity was founded by former showbiz journalist Amy Hanson, who quit her job to launch the charity after a life-changing visit to Cambodia in 2009.
‘I had just turned 30 and was looking for something more meaningful to contribute in life,’ says Hanson. ‘After seeing so many homeless kids scavenging barefoot on rubbish dumps filled with broken glass and sharp objects on Cambodia’s largest landfill site, I was heartbroken and an idea just came to me. I thought, perhaps I could use the experience and contacts I have through my job to make a positive change to their lives.’
She returned to the UK and the next month from from her bedroom in north London, the world’s biggest celebrity shoe auction was born.
Today, Amy spends her time travelling between various Small Steps projects in Nicaragua, Romania, Uganda and Laos to oversee how the funds are spent. What began as just giving out shoes, has developed into providing children with what they need to make the small steps out of poverty and into education, breaking the crippling cycle of scavenging for survival.
‘Thousands of Manolos could have been gathering dust in celebrity wardrobes all over the world, but instead they’ve helped fund nurseries, mother and baby units, medical, nutrition and education programmes and really transform lives,’ says Hanson. ‘And we’re just getting started.’
Celebrities from all walks of life, from Natalie Portman to rock legend Chris Martin and tennis pro Roger Federer have been sharing their reasons for contributing to the project.
Australian singer and songwriter SIA has voiced her backing for the Small Steps auction, saying, ‘I’m so proud to donate a pair of shoes to Small Steps – their work raising funds for children living in inhumane conditions is the first step in getting kids the health, safety and education they deserve.’
This year the auction has been a lot more challenging to organise with so many celebrities in lockdown, but it only made Amy more determined to go ahead. ‘The world may have closed down but that doesn’t mean poverty does, or that our charity work could be put on pause. We’re even more committed to making it a success.’
Want to make a bid? The Small Steps Project 2020 Celebrity Shoe Auction runs online on eBay until Sunday 22nd November and you can track its progress on Instagram by checking out @smallstepsproject
Here are just some of the celebrities taking part this year:
Kate Moss
Helena Christensen
Chris Martin
Benedict Cumberbatch
Judi Dench
Rose Byrne
Tom Jones
Stephen Fry
This year, for the first time ever, the project will also be auctioning off some boxing gloves.
Anthony Joshua
So if you’ve ever wanted to walk a mile in a famous person’s shoes, now’s your opportunity.
Red carpet, here we come.
