At the beginning of the year, I began a project called Lizzie’s Soup Run. I felt that the offer of soup, sandwiches, coffee etc would make a great difference to homeless and vulnerable people in Bath.

I started going into town every Saturday evening with my daughters and a few friends to distribute hot soup, food bags, coffee etc.

We now have a team of volunteers who take food plus clothing, sleeping bags, toiletries, torches, tents, ground sheets, tarpaulins, shoes, gas stoves and canisters, saucepans - in fact anything we can think of to make life easier for these vulnerable people. At first we were supporting around ten people a week but now we see at least thirty.

My original plan of a sandwich, soup and coffee has become a hot meal for everyone which one of us cooks each week. Cottage pie is a favourite! Everyone receives a foodbag with enough to last them the next day and this contains a ham or cheese roll, fruit juice, Mini Cheddars, cheese and crackers, cake, cup a soup, biscuits, chocolate bars, porridge and if we can afford it a sausage roll. We also take crisps, Pot Noodles, bottles of water etc.

On average, the thirty foodbags alone are costing approximately £70 a week to fill. On top of this, we have the cost of making the hot meal plus thirty cheese/ham rolls. We also provide £5 Greggs gift cards when we have enough funds. These enable a homeless person to have something hot to eat and drink.

We rely solely on donations, and to raise further funds we have decided to do a Christmas raffle and hope to make enough money to give all of our friends (and their dogs) on the street a Christmas present and a Christmas dinner.

We have donation boxes in Midsomer Norton, Timsbury and Batheaston. If anyone or one of the local businesses would like to become involved, buy raffle tickets or donate a raffle prize we’d be very grateful. Please contact me on: 07792 749339 or email: [email protected].

Liz Davies