Bishop praises ‘inspirational’ charity event

WELLS SOUP! on January 14 was a sell-out success which won praise from the new Bishop of Bath and Wells.

“What an inspiration. It is a magnificent event,” said Bishop Michael, “And aren’t we lucky to have this here.”

He continued his praise in the sermon he gave in Wells Cathedral the following day, telling the congregation how Wells SOUP! works for the common good and saying: “Help was offered, money given, and a good time had by all.”

Then he recommended people go to the next one which will be on Saturday, April 15, in the Connect Centre at 1pm.

SOUP! is organised by Wells Independents whose Ross Young said: “Thank you everyone who came. We had a full house with a wonderful atmosphere and the venue reached its maximum capacity of 100.”

First to speak was Carol Plenty from the YMCA who explained that the money the charity received at the previous SOUP! had been spent helping people in temporary accommodation pay their fuel bills.

Next was Helen McCann from Guide Dogs, the first of the three charities seeking support.

She explained that they offer a lot more than training dogs for the blind, including free training to anyone who would like to train as a sighted guide for someone losing their sight and free speakers to talk about Guide Dogs and CustomEyes books.

These are large print books for children and young adults who are visually impaired or dyslexic. They are specially customised and printed with the chosen font, font size, colour of print and colour of pages to suit individual needs.

Next on the microphone was Suzanne Addicott from the Connect Centre who told the audience they provide 10 services including homelessness advice, supported accommodation, drop-ins, activities, upskilling, signposting, volunteer opportunities and a church.

“Community Connect is a continuation of the work that has been done over the last 15 years for the community and is a rapidly evolving service whose focus now extends well beyond previous target domains of Rough Sleeping and Homelessness, though we continue to assist a plethora of people for whom these remain primary issues of concern,” said Suzanne.

The third charity representative on the stage was Madeleine Hellier from the