Rolling Stones lead list of Glastonbury performers to donate shoes to Highgate charity

Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Rita Ora and Professor Green were among Glastonbury performers who have donated their shoes to raise money for a Highgate charity.

The Small Steps Project is hoping to raise thousands of pounds by selling the shoes at its annual auction later in the year.

Cash from the event will go towards helping children and families around the world living on rubbish dumps.

Staff from the charity, which is based in Waterlow Road, Highgate, went backstage at Glastonbury to collect shoes from some of the biggest names in the music industry.

They included a pair of trainers from rapper Professor Green, wedges from singer Kate Nash, autographed wellies from singer Rita Ora, and cowboy boots from country and western star Kenny Rogers.

The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger (right) and Ronnie Wood have also agreed to donate their shoes for the auction, which last year raised £20,000.

They have joined a long list of A-list celebrities including Kate Moss, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Madonna who have also pledged to hand over their footwear.

Set up by Amy Hanson after she visited Cambodia and saw children working on rubbish dumps living without any shoes, the charity also makes documentaries about its work, which were screened during the music festival.

Some of the volunteers who worked as litter pickers at Glastonbury also donated the cost of half their ticket to the Small Steps Project, while thousands of Wellington boots have been collected from music fans and will be sent to Romania.

Ms Hanson said: “We’ve done a lot of festivals before, but I’ve never experienced anything like Glastonbury where the organisers went out of their way to help us and all the charities who were there. The response from the musicians and festival goers has been amazing.”

Artwork by Cambodian children who have been helped by the Small Steps Project will go on sale at the Highgate Gallery next Tuesday from 6pm.