Pride in Pill ends its food project for the homeless in Newport after eight years due to lease issues and storage challenges
Newport: A charity that has been feeding the homeless in Newport has wrapped up its project. Pride in Pill has been running for eight years, but they’ve hit a snag.
They lost their storage space at the Kingsway shopping centre when their lease expired. Without a place to keep their food and supplies, they had to call it quits.
Paul Murphy, who leads Pride in Pill, expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped out. He said, “It’s a sad time, but your generosity has made a real difference. Let’s keep that spirit alive and help those in need.”
The last Sunday run was just a few days ago, and they used to serve around 90 to 100 people each week. On average, they fed about 20 people daily.
Mr. Murphy thanked the volunteers and local businesses for their support over the years. He reflected on the many meals and warm drinks they provided, along with 90 food bags.
They had been using a unit in the shopping centre for storage, but now Mr. Murphy is set to clean it out next week. Most of the supplies have already been given to other charities.
The Kingsway shopping centre decided not to renew the lease, claiming that people were sleeping in the unit. They told the South Wales Argus that they couldn’t allow the space to be used for anything other than storage.
However, Mr. Murphy denied that anyone was living there and challenged the shopping centre to prove their claim. He called it “a load of rubbish” and said it would be ridiculous to let someone sleep there since they stored food and clothes in that space.
He added that if he knew someone was sleeping there, he would have kicked them out immediately.
The Kingsway spokesperson insisted that the unit is meant strictly for storage under health and safety rules. Mr. Murphy believes the lease wasn’t renewed due to other reasons, not safety concerns.
The shopping centre said that if Pride in Pill needed clarification, they should reach out directly. It’s a tough situation, and many are feeling the impact of this charity’s closure.
