Hall-user Spotlight: The Sunday Centre

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The Sunday Centre – Walk and Talk

The Sunday Centre is a project that feeds people in need. We have been based at the Victoria Hall for about twenty years. We look after people in serious need and are often the only safe place for them to go on a Sunday and the only place they can get good hot food.

The Sunday Centre had to close in March due to covid and we are still not open. Although we know that it was essential, both to keep people safe and to comply with the law, it has hurt us not to be able to look after our guests from the Hall.

We have been working with other charities and projects to get food and support to people in other ways and have also started something new – Walk and Talk

Walk and Talk is our response to something that has become more obvious during covid and that is loneliness. With day services and other places people could go being closed there are a lot of isolation and loneliness out there. We spotted this from a couple of conversations on the street with people who usually come to us.

We have set up a rota of volunteers and most days a team of two walk a route round the city centre and if they spot someone we know, or someone just sat outside a shop, they see if they want to have a chat.

The feedback from people on the streets has been very positive. Just seeing a friendly face and having chance to pass a bit of time in conversation has made a real difference.

We are looking to have volunteers out every day if we can and will run this until the end of September when we’ll review things.

Of course, what we really want to do is get back to serving people from the Hall. Lots of guests have said how much they miss the Sunday Centre. We are working with the team at the Foundry and aim to open as soon as practical, initially as a take away service. Watch this space!

Steve Clark Chair The Sunday Centre