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Nottingham connected Community 19 PATHWAY HOUSING SOLUTIONS SPONSORS SOUP KITCHEN By Carol Young A St Ann’s based Soup kitchen recently received a financial boost from a community based organisation. Pathway Housing Solutions, a social enterprise, set up with the sole purpose of improving communities through the provision of training and housing, made a donation toward the work of the soup kitchen. Pathway Housing Solutions sources disused properties for renovation, and land for building homes that are secure, decent and affordable. The refurbished properties are let at affordable rents to those in housing need. Carol Young one of the co-founders commented that “Pathway Housing Solutions works hard at generating housing solutions, to ensure that no one is adversely affected by homelessness”. Pathway Housing Solutions provides opportunities for unemployed people to gain on site and classroom training in construction. Through this programme trainees are given the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of construction so that they can gain qualifications and practical experience. The soup kitchen, located at the Seventh Day Adventist church in the St Ann’s area of Nottingham is just one of several community initiatives that Pathway Housing Solutions is involved in. The Soup kitchen serves food on a weekly basis for people in need. The Community Ministries department of the church first opened the church doors to serve hot meals to the homeless and hungry in November 2013. The department also holds a senior citizens club every Tuesday where exercise classes, arts and craft sessions and dominoes are played. Those that attend the club can also look forward to receiving a hot meal. The soup kitchen was started following a spike in the number of homeless people sleeping rough on the streets of Nottingham. Mrs Wilfred Anderson, the Community Ministries leader for the church saw the impact that the changes to the welfare system and recession was having on her community and decided to do something about it. Her response to this problem resulted in the start- up of the soup kitchen at the church. “The mission of the church is simply, to provide a warm and nutritious meal to anyone who is hungry regardless of their situation or condition”. The department are appreciative of the donation provided by Pathway Housing solutions. it has enabled the soup kitchen to provide additional food provisions such as cake and biscuits in addition to the weekly soup. Mrs Anderson states that the doors to the soup Kitchens are open to all. No one is required to attend a religious service, all are welcome; they only need to be hungry” FOR FURTHER DETAILS: Soup kitchen times: Tuesdays 6-8pm, Nottingham Seventh Day Adventist Church, St Anne’s Wells Road, Nottingham, NG3 1EJ www.nottinghamadventist.org.uk PATHWAY HOUSING SOLUTIONS www.pathwayhousingsolutions.org.uk THE RESEARCH TEAM Alice Davey: [email protected] Dr Edith Ogochukwu: [email protected] Henri Baptiste: [email protected] Mrs Winifred Anderson cooking for the soup kitchen