A ride in the PSV players coach is usually restricted to the players of the Eindhoven top club. Twenty Eindhoven citizens of restricted means can now join the ranks of Noa Lang and Luuk de Jong. At philanthropist Hugo van Rooij’s initiative, they are travelling to Zeeland for a mini holiday. “We are touched that someone wanted to do this”.
Van Rooij does not only want to help people by sponsoring the holiday they would not be able to afford. He also hopes that meeting other people in a different environment will add to their joy in life.
On Tuesday morning it;s all hustle and bustle at the pint of departure, café Place Du Nord smack in the centre of Eindhoven. One after the other trickles in carrying thier luggage. One of the travellers is Esther Bakermans. She and her husband are enjoying their coffees in a corner of the café. For both, the sponsored trip is a bright spot in a dark time.
“We lost a daughter and we have a sick son. My husband’s health is poor”, Esther explains. It has a great impact on her life. “I have to be there for those who need me around the clock, and put my own needs on the shelf. Our financial situation is not too rosy either”.
Bellyache
This is a situation her travel companions know all too well. “I fell down the scaffold at work and then the bellyache started”, Anthony van Lierop reminisces. “You need to take a step back. We had five children still living at home. So we had to rely on the food bank and the kledingbank*. An outing meant going to the park or a walk with the kids. Having said that, we’re still here and that’s what matters”.
At half past ten the bus arrives. After posing for the group portrait the passengers find a comfortable spot in the coach. Edwin van der Weide, sitting next to his girlfriend, says it is a welcome distraction. “I really enjoy this. It’s a break from the daily rut”. And yet… “It’s a shame the kids could not come with us, but they had to go to school”.
*kledingbank: works like a food bank. You have to apply to become elligble for free clothes. A clothes bank is a drop-off place for clothes richer people no longer want. (ed.)
Source: Studio040
For EindhovenNews: Greta
