Throughout the month of January Paignton churches and February Torquay churches on a rota basis allowed their church halls to be used to provide a hot evening meal, overnight accommodation and breakfast, once a week for homeless people. Guests moved to another local church hall each night.
Soroptimist member Gaynor Raisey recently volunteered to help staff the night shelters in Paignton and Torquay, she helped to provide shelter, enjoyable meals, a bed and a safe haven during the month of February. Conversation and friendship was also on offer!
Gaynor said “It was demanding vital work, physically exhausting, emotionally draining, and a humbling experience, but I will be volunteering again next year when the Brixham churches are going to be involved, this will increase the period to three months shelter for the homeless. Working with the churches all helping each other brought different religions together – an amazing achievement which hadn’t happened in Torbay before.”