Cost of living: Scout hut giving people food, warmth and company

A group of friends who set up a charity for homeless people have expanded their work by converting an old scout hut into a community hub.

Six years ago, Sarah Mason and her friends in Llanelwedd, Powys, began weekly food parcel deliveries to Builth Wells, Cardiff, Newport and Newtown.

But since Covid, they realised more people on their doorstep needed help.

The hut now hosts free events to help people stay warm, eat and meet others as heating bills and food costs rise.

Sarah Mason realised it wasn't just homeless people in need of help this winter

Among the activities on offer are free lunch clubs, tea and coffee mornings and arts and crafts sessions for kids.

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Christina, 28, who comes to the hub with her two-year-old daughter Arwen, was studying health and social care at Brecon College, but has stopped for now because of the difficulty finding affordable childcare and the cost of travel.

She and her partner Eddy rely on his job at a petrol station, universal credit and child benefit.

'Everything is going up'

Energy bills, rent and the cost of travel mean their finances are under strain.

"It's horrible. I thought it was bad through the pandemic but we could cope through the pandemic," she said.

"Now with the cost of living everything is going up like milk, basic essentials that we need for Arwen. You're spending more money on the same stuff, it's ridiculous.

"It is hard but we manage to do it because we've got a baby, so we have to do it," Christina said.

She hasn't put the heating on at home yet, relying instead on dressing gowns, blankets and visits to the hub.

"It gives us a warm space to go with Arwen, it means we can turn everything off and we do save electricity that way. I'm dreading the winter because I know it's going to get cold."

Christina's main priority is making sure her daughter can eat

Christina helps out at the hub and at the charity's shop, and said people walk away "feeling a lot better" because they have had someone to talk to.

"It's warm and welcoming, even if you just want a coffee."

Some weeks that means they use the hub's food bank.

"At least we know that the baby can eat, by us accessing a food bank it means we can eat as well."

Christina and her daughter Arwen playing inside the community hub

Patricia Tuckwell, 69, comes to the lunch club every Monday, and the meal, company and the warmth mean a lot to her, as she lives alone and is making big cuts to cope financially.

She said: "You've got to be strict with yourself.

As well as enjoying the hot meal and the company, Patricia has donated some cans to the food bank

"Water I'm not using so much, showers are only once a week and the washing machine only goes on once a week.

"We help each other out, it's lovely."

Like Christina and Patricia, Jonathan Burchell helps out at the hub too.

He volunteers "to give something back" in return for the help he's had.

Jonathan Burchell is now successfully managing his money each month

Unable to work because of arthritis of the spine and mental health issues, Jonathan struggled to budget when his heating and electricity bills went up.

He said: "The food came in very handy, and it was somewhere to come for company.

"I'm in a much better place than I was, they helped me out. I get paid monthly so I budget monthly.

"All my bills go out straight away the same day my money comes in and then I do my shopping and what's left over, if there's anything left over, is left in the bank."

Sarah transformed the hut from being a warehouse for deliveries to a community centre and food bank after noticing a change in need when schools closed during the pandemic.

Parents were telling her they were struggling because their children were no longer getting a hot meal at school and they were using more electricity at home.

Sarah wants to create a warm and friendly atmosphere at her community centre

"People were really feeling the pinch, that's when we applied to be a food bank," she said.

Demand has gone up as inflation has hit, and on Monday they gave out between 25 and 30 meals.

"We're getting more people coming through the door with families, we're getting more people staying longer," said Sarah.

"They're lonely, they're cold. It's open to anybody who wants companionship."

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