The Parish Priest of St Mary’s Church says Winter loneliness is worse than ever this year as people cannot afford to spend money on social occasions. St Mary’s has partnered with other faith groups to tackle isolation by serving soup to the community.
“Soup is simple, fairly cheap to make and very nutritious so it’s a good model, especially in the cost of living crisis, because it shows that you can eat well on less. Soup is a mish-mash of all kinds of ingredients. It kind of illustrates what community is all about: people coming together and making a whole.”
Cardiff Synagogue, the Islamic Centre and three primary schools, will make and bring along their own soup – each with personal significance or a story behind the recipe. Women Seeking Sanctuary Advocacy Group will also be taking part.
Cardiff Council has provided some funding to help buy ingredients for the soup and equipment for the day.
‘The Day of the Soup’ is running throughout January in three key churches located in diverse communities. Last week a similar event was held at St Saviour’s Church in Splott .
The events have been inspired by the Jo Cox Foundation which has been encouraging communities to engage in ‘The Great Get Together’ this Winter. The campaign slogan – “We have more in common than that which divides us”, represents the life and work of the Labour politician who was murdered in 2016.
St Paul’s Church, Grangetown will be the next to grab the ladle on Tuesday 31st of January.