Hull: Rayners pub helping to feed the hungry

Tina, pictured right, queues for a hot meal at Rayners pub in Hull

A pub is handing out dozens of hot meals each week for those struggling in the cost of living crisis.

Up to 65 hot meals are cooked and handed out every Tuesday at Rayners pub on Hessle Road in Hull.

Adam Hawley, who runs the We Are Not Takeaway (WANT) project, said people are asked to pay only what they can afford.

The group received £2,000 from the City Health Care Partnership to fund the initiative for eight weeks.

Organiser Adam Hawley says nobody is denied a hot meal

Organisers hope, with more funding, they can extend the weekly meal giveaway beyond May.

Mr Hawley said: "We won't deny anyone a meal.

"The idea is people are eating healthy food and it's combating loneliness, bringing people together over a meal."

Mr Hawley explained some people choose to "pay a little bit more" for their meals, which offsets the cost for others. In some cases, people do not pay anything for a meal, he said.

People can make a donation in return for a meal

Tina, who has been in and out of hospital having two major operations, said the meals "mean a lot" to her.

She said: "Because I have disabilities, I thought (coming here) it'll get me out the house. It'll help all of us who cannot afford food."

Another woman, Mandy, has been using the project for six weeks.

She said: "It's amazing. Since they've put the food on, I'm always first in the queue.

"I wouldn't dream of cooking anything like this... because it would be too costly."

Patricia, a patron of Rayners pub - once a popular haunt of Hull's trawlermen - for 40 years, endorsed the project.

She said: "I've never seen young families struggle as much as they do now. It's just not very nice at all. Anything we can do to help them, we should be willing."

Rachel Naylor, the pub's landlady, said people had told her they could not afford to buy food.

She said: "For some people, this is their one and only cooked meal. Sometimes it's the only time people leave their house."

Meals are served at 14:00 BST.