'Donations are down, but demand is up' – Newbury Soup Kitchen's CEO fears for the future as cost of living crisis looks set to worsen

The chief executive of a Newbury charity has pleaded with people not to judge others, as she warns that the future is about to get very bleak.

Meryl Praill, who started Newbury Soup Kitchen in December 2017, said that “donations are down, but demand is up” and she fears for what the coming months will hold.

Her charity, of which singer Will Young is patron, provides healthy food provision and outreach care for those in need in the district, catering for the physical, emotional and social health of each person.

But it is struggling – like all charities – to keep up with the surging demand on its services.

“I am really dreading this winter,” she said. "We all know that charities are noticing that donations from the public are down, whether it is food or financial and we all have the looming fear from our utilities.

"I know there will be people without food and fuel this winter, even with the amazing support Newbury and West Berkshire have."

She said the Soup Kitchen tries to be "the voice of people who don’t have one” and said it upsets her when she reads court reports of people she has worked with because she understands what has driven them to do the things they are doing.

“It’s important to understand that there’s a story behind everybody and we shouldn’t judge, but we are all guilty of it," she said.

“We are helping people who have just fallen through the cracks and it’s important that we just give a little bit of love, we don’t demonise them.

“It’s about believing in them. We can’t help everybody; some people just need that ongoing food support but there are some people who just get stuck, without a voice, not knowing what to do or where to go.

“It is very important to us that everyone is treated with respect, kindness, treated as equals, which is not often experienced by many of our clients in their everyday lives.”

She talked of a rough sleeper who she “gave a chance” when everyone else told her not to bother – helping them get a roof over their head, navigating and supporting them through court, physical health issues and rehabilitation.

There was clear pride on her face when she said how that person is now holding down a good job, training and has a home they have lived in for more than two and a half years.

At the charity’s first ever session there were 11 people, now they serve hot meals and give out food parcels to around 25 people on a Wednesday and Saturday in Newbury Wharf and outside the Salvation Army hall on a Thursday, where they feed up to 55.

During the first lockdown six volunteers cooked and delivered 5,500 meals, seven days a week to the district’s homeless at the hotels they were placed in.

They also facilitated Covid vaccines, with the CCG and Public Health, and lateral flow testing in partnership with Healthwatch.

Mrs Praill even took in a street dog for three months while a new home was found for him.

Newbury Soup Kitchen, which is Gardner Leader’s charity of the year for 2022, does have one eye on its future. It moved into new long-term, but temporary, premises during lockdown – lent to them by Adrian Smith CEO of SWIFT Logistics. It has also taken on another member of staff, giving Mrs Praill some much needed support.

That support also comes from the “amazing” volunteers that offer their time, free of charge, every week to give free haircuts and eye checks, collect donations, cook hot meals, drive the vans or serve the food. But there is always a need for more.

Mrs Praill’s dream would be to have a community centre which offers a place for people to go to get all the help they need under one roof – from food, showers, advice on benefits and jobs, to haircuts and Hep C clinics.

"There are lots of outreach and support opportunities that Newbury Soup Kitchen provide and want to expand," Mrs Praill added. "We love our work and are committed to striving forward to help more and more with homeless prevention as well as work with homeless individuals and people generally struggling to cope with day to day problems."

She is still holding out hope that it may become a reality, but at the moment she is focused on helping the growing number of people in need across the district – and she only expects it to get worse this winter.