Download headliners Metallica make 'lifeline' donation to local homeless charity

Download festival headliners Metallica have made a £40,000 donation to a charity that supports homeless people in the nearby town of Leicester.

The thrash icons are performing two headline slots at Download in the English Midlands this weekend.

And in the run-up to the festival, Metallica reached out to Leicester-based Help the Homeless to offer support from their All Within My Hands Foundation – a charitable organisation that supports "workforce education, the fight against hunger, disaster relief and other critical local services."

All Within My Hands said the donation would help "those most at risk" and Help the Homeless said the money would provide a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable people in the city.

Help the Homeless founder Arif Voraji tells the BBC:  "I started following their foundation on social media a couple of years ago and flagging our work but that was it.

"Then I got an email from them which said they were playing at Download, just down the road at Castle Donington, and they wanted to support local charities. It was amazing and I was a bit stunned. It's come at the perfect time as things were looking patchy.

"We've seen a massive drop in donations from the public and donations from corporations, but at the same time, we've seen an increase in demand. We've seen a 100% increase in demand for our food bank and our other food services and it's not just individuals coming to us, it's families too.

"This money is a lifeline for really vulnerable people. It will help us to keep doing what we're doing and help not only homeless people but others who are struggling, people in recovery, people who have just moved into new accommodation.

"But it will also help us with the day-to-day costs of running the charity and just keep the lights on."

Last year Metallica raised $3million for All Within My Hands via their Helping Hands concert and auction.

The donation to Help the Homeless is just one of many ways Metallica made their mark in the Midlands this weekend. Some people living near the site complained that the thrash band's Thursday night performance was too loud.