Muswell Hill Soup Kitchen has launched an appeal to help raise the more than £20,000 needed to buy a van for deliveries.

Earlier this month the kitchen at Muswell Hill Baptist Church opened for collections, having been taking food to hostels and shelters during lockdown.

The service’s users and volunteers greeted each other warmly after months apart.

Soup kitchen organiser, and founder of nextmeal.co.uk, told the Ham & High Podcast the service is preparing for the winter - and the fundraising target of £28,000 for a van, food and running costs.

He said: “One of the things we’re looking to do is to purchase a van so that we can go to the people, where they are, taking necessary equipment, bags, whatever they may need to survive any cold weather.”

He said it is not yet known what will happen around rough sleeping this winter, given the ongoing coronavirus crisis, but he said: “On a cold night we want them to survive the night and meet another day.”

To hear Martin discuss issues around rough sleeping and what the role of the authorities should be, search ‘Ham & High’ in your podcast app or go to https://podfollow.com/hamhigh/

To support Muswell Hill Soup Kitchen, go to https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/super-kitchen-van.