Mexicans in sombreros and Spandex wrestling masks belted out Mariachi songs as they marched through the drizzle. Horn-helmeted Norwegian vikings danced an impromptu Highland jig with a woman dressed as a Welsh dragon. As flags fluttered and drums beat it felt like a mini Mardi Gras; a carefree carnival in the Glaswegian summer rain.
However, for most participants in the parade to mark the opening of the Homeless World Cup life has been anything but a party. Many have battled addiction to drink and drugs. All have known the stomach-gnawing dread that comes with bedding down for the night in a doorway, a dank alleyway or on a park bench.
Craig McManus, 40, lost his job, car and home after his addiction to alcohol and