THE Mayor visited Winchester Churches Nightshelter to see how residents, staff and volunteers are coping during lockdown.

Cllr Patrick Cunningham and his wife Joy were welcomed by the chief executive, Michèle Price.

They were shown the kitchen where they served the evening meal to the residents alongside one of the regular volunteers.

Mayor Cllr Cunningham said: "I wanted to come and help today to show support to the staff and volunteers who have done so much for the residents here not only during Covid-19 but ongoing. I want to champion the champions and make sure staff know how much Winchester City Council appreciates what they do.

"It has been great to chat to everyone and to understand background stories and hear how people’s lives are improving all the time they are here. I am delighted to discover how many residents have now got jobs which is in part thanks to staff facilitating it."

Each year, the Nightshelter serves over 12,000 meals to residents.

The majority of meals are cooked and served by volunteers with lots of meals featuring donated food from the local community.

The Mayor served spaghetti bolognese followed by banana cake whilst chatting to residents about their experiences and plans for the future.

Michèle Price said: “Just like the rest of the country, the Nightshelter has been in lockdown with many of our residents’ lives put on hold.

"We quickly adapted during lockdown so that we are now open 24/7 giving our residents a place to stay safe day and night, we want to try and keep these extended opening hours for as long as we can. We are pleased to now have 80 per cent of our residents in work and it was fantastic to hear many of them sharing their positive stories with the Mayor during his visit. Lives really can be transformed at the Nightshelter.”

The Nightshelter is looking for volunteers to help out in a range of roles. Volunteering is very flexible and is always alongside a member of staff. Please visit www.wcns.org.uk to find out more about volunteering and how you can donate to help keep the Nightshelter open 24/7.