MILLIONAIRE footballers and those sleeping rough rarely cross paths — which makes former Manchester United star Gary Neville’s gesture of allowing the site of his swanky new hotel complex to be used as a squat over the winter months all the more remarkable.

The decision by the Sky Sports pundit even brought tears to the eyes of Nelson man Wes Hall, who is part of the group that wants to transform the former Manchester Stock Exchange building into a temporary homeless hub.

That means the 30-strong gang, and maybe even more, who have fallen on hard times will get the chance to shelter from the elements, get new clothes and cook their own hot food.

The eventual plans are for a 35-bed hotel with a spa and rooftop terrace.

The trust put in them by the ex-England full-back and his former team-mate Ryan Giggs, who is a co-funder of the £1.5 million project, is admirable.

And if everything runs smoothly between now and February, when the next stage of the building project starts and the group will have to leave, it could provide a model to be rolled out across the country.

That could see empty buildings being used to make a difference, rather than standing useless and ugly on our streets.

But this will rely on everyone keeping their end of the bargain.

So fingers crossed that happens.