FREE soup will soon be served thanks to a big-hearted venture to bring people together and keep them warm during the cost of living crisis. 

All are welcome at the first-ever Saturday Soup which is due to launch at St Wulstan's Church in Cranham Drive, Warndon, in the New Year.

The venture follows generous backing by registered social landlords who have between them and a Warndon shop given £1,000 to fund the project.

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Saturday Soup will be launched on Saturday, January 7 and run until Saturday, March 25. 

The kitchen, run by Cllr Jill Desayrah who is supported by a team of volunteers, will be preparing vegetable soup and bread for anyone who wants to come.

The Warndon Labour councillor offered her thanks to organisations which made the initiative possible with 'the lion's share' of the money coming from Sanctuary but generous support also coming from Citizen Housing, Platform Housing and the Spar shop.

Saturday Soup follows on from the successful brunch scheme which fed 50 people per week on some days.

Cllr Desayrah said she and members of the community now wanted to keep the momentum going. 

Cllr Jill Desayrah, who will prepare the soup herself, said: "It's registered as a warm hub and everybody is welcome. They don't have to be Warndon residents to come here.

"It's going to be a healthy hot meal. I'm going to cook it from scratch there. 

"If there had not been the success of the brunch I do not think it would have got the generous level of sponsorship."

Cllr Desayrah said Saturday Soup also doubled as a surgery for constituents to raise any issues they might have.

Throughout Worcester, various agencies joined forces to provide free meals at St Wultstan's Church in Cranham Drive on Saturdays between 10am and noon for the earlier brunch scheme.

A team of volunteers served sausage and bacon sandwiches or vegan options. 

The brunches started on October 1 and proved a hit with the people of Warndon.

Vicar Sarah Northall came up with the brunch idea and Cllr Desayrah organised and promoted it.

Cllr Desayrah said the scheme was also about the social aspects of being a community and tackling loneliness.

She is part of a cross-party group of city councillors who formed a sub-committee, expressly to generate ideas on ways to support people through these extremely challenging times.