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Services
“The Banquet Run” - was set up in September 2003, a Soup run with a difference.
Having worked with people, who are homeless, people trying to deal with money issues, loneliness, addictive lifestyles and mental health problems for many years, we wanted to provide:
- a place which was accessible to everyone
- free, good quality, hot & cold food, hot tea & coffee
- non-judgemental friendship, support & encouragement
We wanted to provide more than just the usual soup and curled up sandwich, we wanted to provide a feast of various good quality food, a way of saying “your valued”, “we believe in you” hence the name the “Banquet Run”
The Poultry Cross
The Banquet Run takes place three times a week (Tues, Wed, & Thurs 3.30p.m.) at a central location in Salisbury City Centre
called the Poultry Cross.
Some of the people who come to the “Banquet Run” are homeless sometimes sleeping rough, anywhere , they can find a little shelter from the rain, Wind or snow. Other people who come to the Banquet Run, may have a roof over their heads, but are living in very difficult circumstances, where food, clothes and other basics are in short supply. Often loneliness is a big factor in their lives and for those who want a new beginning in life, it is often difficult to find freedom from the past. Circumstances from the past often stop people having a future. For some their past leaves them emotionally crippled, hurting and broken people, full of despair, unable to find any hope for the future.
We all need to have some kind of hope for the future, no matter how small, we all need to know that we loved and cared about, our friends that we meet on the streets are no different. Our heart is to help them bring them hope for the future.
Working in the Community
Christmas 2003 – was really the start of the Charity’s community work. From working with people coming to he Banquet Run, we soon realised that it wasn’t just people, who were homeless who needed support, friendship and encouragement, but there were vast numbers of people living in the community, who were struggling with issues such as unemployment, money problems, illness, relationship breakdown, drug and alcohol issues.
Christmas can be really hard for families, especially if there are money problems, and there are children to think of, We put together 24 massive Christmas Hampers, including Turkeys and Ham, and gave them out to people in the community, who were struggling in one way or another, many families as well as not having much money, had also experienced real pain, hurt, bereavement and/or broken relationships and loneliness during the year. Offering a Christmas Hamper is just another way of saying we care about you and your family and want you to have a good Christmas.
Christmas 2004 we gave out 37 Christmas hampers and thanks to various companies in and around Wiltshire and Dorset, we now deliver small Hampers to people in the community on a “when we have it, we give it out “ basis.
We also visit people in prison, we go with them to court, and also support many people through serious illnesses and spells in hospital.
In the Summer months we take people out for a day out in the country stopping off somewhere for a picnic, or we may take them down to the coast for the day. For some of our friends this will be as near as they get to having a holiday.
Very often people who have been coming to the Banquet Run are offered more permanent accommodation by the local Council, we continue to visit them and support them, where necessary, helping them to make whatever transition is necessary and sign posting them to other services that they need.
Three lads
enjoying a day
out in May
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