THE demand from homeless people for food from Salisbury’s ‘Banquet Run’ has almost doubled in recent months.

Bev Kidley, who organises the service with her husband Dave, said: “We are giving out well over 4,000 meals a year.”

The Kidleys’ charity Morning Star has been given a £1,000 grant by Salisbury City Council to help with its work.

“We are at the Poultry Cross on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with hot, high quality food and drinks,” said Mrs Kidley, from Winterslow. “We grow our own organic vegetables, and we take home-made soups and casseroles, quiches, and hot chicken.

“We work with the rough sleepers. They come and go, and the numbers vary, but at the moment there are six or seven of them.

“We also work with the people staying in hostels, because although they have a roof over their head they are on very, very low incomes, and if they have drug and alcohol problems they don’t always eat properly. Some of them live quite chaotic lifestyles.

“They come from all age groups, and quite a few are ex-servicemen.”

Tragedy is never far away. A number of young people the Kidleys have met through their work have died.

“But hot food for those who are sleeping rough keeps them going through the night. It means they don’t have to beg.”

The Kidleys, who won a Journal People Award last year for their work, also run a residential unit for people who want to change their lives around. It received substantial cash support from the old district council.

“At the moment we have three people living with us, but we can take up to five,” said Mrs Kidley. “But we have a couple waiting to come. It’s 24/7 when they first come in. We eat together and live together, it’s like a family.

“We detox them and put them on a 12-step programme, with cognitive behavioural therapy. The lads help to grow the vegetables. After 12 months we help them to move on.

“But we’ve only got the money to run that until the end of March next year, and Wiltshire Council’s housing department have said they can’t fund us after that.

“We don’t get government funding. The admin is horrendous, and because we are such a small charity it would take all our time to fill in the paperwork.

“We will be applying to the council’s area board, but it can only give a maximum of £5,000 to any one cause, and that will leave us £15,000 short. We are relying on the generosity of our donors and sponsors, and we really do need the support of people in Salisbury.”

Anyone interested in helping the charity’s work should go to www.morningstarsalisbury.org.