Will Young helps Newbury charity raise £60,000
The Newbury soup kitchen will use the cash for a new building
Last updated 2nd Dec 2024
A Newbury charity has used star power to raise more than sixty thousand pounds at a gala dinner.
Newbury soup kitchen helps provide meals and practical support to homeless and vulnerable people.
It was founded in 2017 by Meryl Prail who says the fundraising night made her 'incredibly proud' and she says she's grateful to the charity's patron singer Will Young.
"We're so lucky to have him (Will Young) he's from the Hungerford area and his mum used to volunteer for us so it's more of a personal relationship and we supported his mum through the death of his brother Rupert. He brought Rob Rinder with him because they're friends, I think they met on Strictly."
Meryl says the money will go towards a new building they hope to move into. They have to move from their current base and its hoped the new building can become a one-stop shop for all the services they provide. But Meryl says if they secure the building it'll require a lot of work to renovate it:
"We're talking insulation, heating, electrics, decorating, carpet, you know everything. It's going to take a lot of money and I've been saving for seven years and this money from this event will go towards that.
“This is the beginning of a new chapter for Newbury Soup Kitchen, we look forward to the future and expanding our charity to enable us to provide all our services in one place.”
If you want to find out more about the charity click here