Out & About Winter 2018

Out&About feature

months ago, after living in Newbury for most of his life. He pauses for an instant as he pops a whole unpeeled kiwi into his mouth. “Hey. I’m homeless, I’m nuts and yeah – I like coming here,” he says, chomping away. I ask what it’s like sleeping in one of Newbury’s car parks. “Oh, I have a really big room – not many people get a bedroom as big as mine,” he quips. He moves onto a chocolate-chip muffin as I ask him his view on the soup kitchen. He stops chewing and looks up at the volunteers, around the room, which is now punctuated with noisy conversations and harmonious laughs among volunteers and users alike. “Oh, they’re awful,” he counters, straightfaced. He pauses, before realising I haven’t bought any of it and then continues, with his trademark irony: “Nah, they’re just here to make themselves happy, which is a great thing because I really like them too. They literally pay so much attention to me.” We continue talking for a while, before our conversation is interrupted by a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday as a candlelit cake is brought out for one of the volunteers. “I bet you she’s only turned up tonight because of that,” Andy says, a wide grin creeping across his face – I’m getting used to his caustic humour now. Across the room, volunteer Phil Tudor is standing by one of the massive boxes of bananas, hands behind his back, surveying the evening’s action. Phil is one of the kitchen’s success stories. He used to be homeless himself and visited the soup kitchen often with friends, some of whom still drop by on a Thursday evening. His own weekly visits provided a warm, happy place where volunteers gave him guidance and advice and even found him a reel and tackle so he could enjoy a favourite pastime of his, fishing. The kitchen played a pivotal role in helping Phil secure accommodation at an alms house in Donnington and the former graphic designer became inspired to give something back. He has since redesigned the soup kitchen’s logo and now provides all the graphics for the scheme – which has helped him grow in confidence and discover a renewed sense of self-purpose. “I was once here as a customer. I got to know everybody when I was on the street,” he said. He pauses, thinking of what he should say next, before the realisation dawns. “I suppose they kind of look up to me in a way,” he said, somewhat taken aback by what he’s just said. “I’ve stayed in tents with a few of them and slept in car parks, so I understand their world. “I was a graphic designer before, so it’s a bit of a career switch, albeit one that I’m proud of.” Phil now works as a groundsman looking after the Donnington village and cricket field, parks and play areas, as well as picking litter. Near the front of the hall are two of the soup kitchen’s 

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