Wow, I think we all surpassed ourselves in so many ways tonight. 40 people came through the door and apparently 31 by 6.15pm, it must have been the smell of the cooking. On the menu, this evening was Carrot and Lentil Soup, Pork Ribs with a sticky marinade, Boston beans, Sausages and Apple Crumble and Custard.

Meryl Praill from Newbury Soup Kitchen was invited back to Hungerford Primary School on 14th January to receive a cheque from the proceeds of the schools Christmas fundraising events.

Walking through the high street on a cold Saturday afternoon in January. The decorations are down and shoppers walk quickly along the road. Heads down to protect their faces from the elements. Certain things became apparent. What a contrast from three weeks before. Sat quietly on the pavement was a lonely homeless person staring into[...]

Many of our clients have been diagnosed with Hepatitis C. This is a virus that infects the liver. If it is left undiagnosed and untreated it has the potential to cause life-threatening damage over many years. However, with modern treatments, it is possible to cure the infection and most people with treatment can expect a normal life expectancy. It's estimated approximately 220,000 people in the UK have Hepatitis C.

Last week was so quiet in comparison to other weeks, we were unsure how busy it would be this week. As it turned out it was another quietish night with 34 people in. Jan did an amazing Green Thai Curry with Paneer and a Sag Aloo Curry that was vegetarian and dairy free, this was[...]

Volunteers came out to the Market Place on Christmas morning to feed our clients who are still sleeping rough.  It was a wonderful atmosphere, we had Christmas music playing from a car and everyone dressed up with Christmas hats and jumpers.  The Vineyard hotel and restaurant kindly provided bacon butties and catering flasks of hot[...]

We had a wonderful evening, this evening. Jan, Meryl and Mai-Britt have been working hard, tirelessly to get everything together and in place for the big event. We had decided to cater for 60 people as the numbers have been increasing of late. We had also heard rumours that people were coming that had not been for a while.

Aspergillosis is the umbrella name for the conditions caused by the common mould aspergillosis fumigatus. Sleeping on duvets and pillows that get cold and damp and do not have the opportunity to dry out through the winter months, can be a breeding ground for these spores.

We took a pop up tent and accessories that a rough sleeper would use. We encouraged the children to ask questions and they asked some great ones. For instance "What do people do all the time if they are bored?" and "Do rough sleepers sleep well in a tent, do they have trouble sleeping?"

This weekend a team of Soup Kitchen volunteers went out onto Northbrook Street to collect money for the Soup Kitchen. Spending three hours standing in one place we got very cold and wet.