Newbury Soup Kitchen

What Newbury Soup Kitchen does

Newbury Soup Kitchen (NSK) is a registered UK charity (Charity No: 1179298) founded in 2017 by CEO Meryl Praill, providing hot meals and outreach services to homeless and vulnerable individuals across Newbury and West Berkshire, England. The organization operates four recurring weekly service points: Tuesday outreach (2pm–4pm) at St John's Church featuring optometry and community nurse support; Wednesday (6pm–7pm) and Saturday (5pm–6pm) mobile food truck service at Newbury Wharf; and Thursday evening sessions (6pm–7pm) at St Joseph's Church Hall — its flagship offering combining hot meals with wraparound services including haircuts, Samaritans counseling, drug/alcohol outreach (Via), community nurse, fuel debt support, housing and benefits advocacy (Citizens Advice, West Berkshire Homeless), food bank referrals (West Berkshire Foodbank), and distribution of essential items such as tents, sleeping bags, and toiletries. The charity maintains a 5-star Food Standards Agency food hygiene rating and operates alongside a partner ecosystem that achieves 7-day food coverage in Newbury (with Loose Ends filling the gap days).

The underlying operating model is non-technological — physical service delivery via a mobile catering van, church-hall sessions, and street outreach — coordinated by a small paid team of 6 and a 25-plus volunteer workforce. NSK is funded through a diversified donation mix: individual donations, the recurring "Soup Dragons" monthly corporate program with approximately 25 local Newbury businesses, large-scale fundraising events (a 2024 black-tie dinner at The Vineyard raised £60,000 with 123 attendees), trust and foundation grants (notably Greenham Trust as Charity of the Year 2024), and corporate partnerships (Southern Co-op). All services are provided free of charge to clients. The organization is governed by trustees (Chair Simon Tillyer) with celebrity Patron Will Young providing visibility. NSK is currently navigating an operational inflection point, having lost its operational unit and actively seeking dedicated premises — supported by Greenham Trust — to consolidate services into a year-round community centre.

Name

Newbury Soup Kitchen

Legal name

The Newbury Soup Kitchen

Website

https://newburysoupkitchen.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Registered UK charity (founded 2017) providing free hot meals, mobile food truck services, and outreach support including healthcare, housing, and addiction assistance to homeless and vulnerable individuals in Newbury and West Berkshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless and Social Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Homeless charity services
• Community meal provision
• Outreach and welfare support
• Food bank distribution
• Addiction recovery outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Newbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting the charity's mission to feed and support homeless and vulnerable people in Newbury.
2. Corporate Monthly Donations (Soup Dragons): Monthly donations from local businesses under the 'Soup Dragons' program, providing regular sustainable funding.
3. Fundraising Events: Black-tie dinners, golf days, concerts, quiz nights, and other fundraising events. The 2024 fundraising dinner at The Vineyard raised £60,000 with 123 attendees.
4. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from trusts such as Greenham Trust, which has provided support including helping identify new premises and naming NSK as Charity of the Year 2024.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with local businesses including Southern Co-op which provided £1,000 donation and year-long partnership including carrier bag charge donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Newbury Soup Kitchen is a registered UK charity that provides free hot meals and outreach services to homeless and vulnerable individuals in Newbury and West Berkshire. Services are delivered through scheduled weekly sessions (Tuesday outreach, Wednesday/Saturday food truck, Thursday full-service sessions) and include food provision, optometry, community nursing, drug and alcohol outreach, haircuts, housing and benefits advocacy, and supply of essential items such as tents, sleeping bags, and toiletries.

Product overview

Newbury Soup Kitchen is a charitable organization providing a comprehensive support ecosystem for homeless and vulnerable individuals in Newbury and West Berkshire. The core offerings include hot meal provision services delivered through multiple channels: Thursday evening sessions at St Joseph's Church Hall with additional support services (haircuts, medical outreach, drug/alcohol services), a mobile food truck operating from The Wharf on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Tuesday outreach services featuring optometry and community nursing. The organization also provides advocacy and case management support for housing, benefits, and daily living challenges. All meal services maintain high standards with a 5-star food safety rating.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Newbury Soup Dragons: Monthly donor program comprising local businesses providing regular donations to support the Soup Kitchen operations.

Products and services

• Hot Meal Provision Provides hot, nutritious meals to homeless and vulnerable individuals at weekly sessions, prepared from donated fresh produce with a 5-star food safety rating from the Food Standards Agency.
• Tuesday Outreach Services Provides outreach services on Tuesdays (2-4pm) including free optometry services and a community nurse to support homeless and vulnerable clients who may not engage with traditional medical routes.
• Food Truck Service Mobile food truck service operating from Newbury Wharf on Wednesdays (6-7pm) and Saturdays (5-6pm) providing hot meals and takeaway parcels to rough sleepers, sofa surfers, and vulnerably housed individuals.
• Thursday Evening Sessions Comprehensive Thursday evening sessions (6-7pm) at St Joseph's Church Hall offering hot meals plus additional services including haircuts, Samaritans, drug and alcohol outreach, community nurse, fuel debt support, shower tokens, laundry tokens, foodbank referral, toiletries, and emergency supplies.
• Advocacy and Case Management Support Volunteers provide support with housing applications, benefits applications, fuel debt support, and day-to-day issues that arise for clients.
• Newbury Soup Dragons Corporate Sponsorship Program A monthly corporate donor program under which local Newbury businesses commit to recurring monthly donations to support the charity's operations and provide sustainable funding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-star Food Standards Agency rating achieved following July 2025 inspection
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southern Co-op (Brummell Road)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Presented NSK with £1,000 donation upon opening new store and established year-long partnership including funds donated from 5p carrier bag charge. Store has food collection bin for NSK donations. Store manager Jamie Wheeler stated 'It's great to team up with Newbury Soup Kitchen and we believe it is a perfect fit as our chosen charity.'
• The VineyardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Vineyard hotel and restaurant in Stockcross hosts annual fundraising events for NSK. CEO Meryl Praill and Patron Will Young host black-tie fundraising dinners at the venue. The 2024 event raised £60,000 with 123 attendees. Tom Scade, Chief Executive Chef, has supported the charity for years.
• West Berkshire FoodbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Trussell Trust-affiliated foodbank. NSK provides Foodbank referral services and receives tinned goods donations. West Berkshire Foodbank supplies provisions to support NSK's food provision services.
• Citizens Advice West BerkshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to NSK clients on rights and responsibilities. Offers 'Help to Claim' service for Universal Credit applications. NSK refers clients to CAB for benefits and legal advice.
• Via (formerly WDP/Westminster Drug Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity that supports people to transform their lives, helping them manage health and wellbeing. NSK provides drug and alcohol outreach services on Thursday sessions, working with Via to support addiction recovery.
• West Berkshire HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelps house individuals and support with Universal Credit applications. Runs move-on houses locally to improve people's living situations. NSK works with this partner to help clients transition from homelessness to stable housing.
• Loose Ends NewburyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrop-centre in Newbury serving food to homeless and vulnerable. Together with NSK, provides food coverage 7 days a week in Newbury area. NSK directs clients to Loose Ends on days when NSK doesn't operate.
• StreetLinkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational service that enables members of the public to connect people sleeping rough with local services. NSK participates in local intelligence meetings and refers rough sleepers through StreetLink.
• All Angels VineyardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides sparkling wine for fundraising events including welcome drinks at black-tie dinners. Mark Darley from All Angels Vineyard supports events. Contributes wine packages for auction items.
• St Joseph's ChurchcoreOthersProvides Thursday evening facilities at St Joseph's Church Hall for NSK sessions at no cost. Primary location for main weekly sessions with full support services.
• St John's ChurchminorOthersProvides Tuesday afternoon facilities for NSK outreach sessions. Tuesday services include optometry and community nurse support.
• Festival Waste Reclamation & Distribution (FWRD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegistered charity dedicated to collecting and redistributing abandoned festival items to homeless organizations. NSK volunteers participate in Reading Festival tent salvage to collect sleeping bags and tents for rough sleepers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Only A Pavement Away: UK charity helping people experiencing homelessness into work in the hospitality sector. Comparable small charity profile and beneficiary overlap, particularly relevant to clients like Martin who secured employment through NSK support.

Broad incumbents

• Crisis: National UK charity focused on homelessness, providing food, accommodation, training, and advocacy. Comparable mission and outreach services but operates nationally with substantially larger budgets and government engagement.
• Emmaus UK: UK federation supporting formerly homeless people through residential communities ('companions'), training, and social enterprise. Comparable charity-driven move-on support model that NSK's clients (e.g., Martin, Eleanor) graduate towards.
• St Mungo's: One of the UK's largest homelessness charities, providing accommodation, recovery services, and outreach across multiple regions. Same beneficiary population and rough-sleeper outreach model but operates at significantly greater scale and with statutory funding.
• Centrepoint: UK charity supporting young people experiencing homelessness through housing, health, and learning programmes. Comparable wraparound support philosophy but specialised in the youth segment with national reach.

Direct peers

• The Soup Kitchen: London-based charity providing hot meals and wraparound support to homeless and vulnerable people. Closest direct peer given the shared food-first, wraparound-services model, charity funding structure, and target beneficiary population.
• Whitechapel Mission: East London day centre offering hot meals, showers, clothing, and training to homeless guests. Highly comparable on the day-centre, hot-meals-plus-additional-services operating model and similar grassroots charity funding base.
• The Passage: London-based charity providing food, shelter, and resettlement support to people affected by homelessness. Comparable integrated food-plus-housing-plus-benefits advocacy model and similar Westminster/locally-rooted delivery.
• Ace of Clubs: South London day centre for homeless and vulnerable adults offering meals, showers, laundry, healthcare, and advice. Closely mirrors NSK's multi-service day-centre approach targeted at rough sleepers.
• Glass Door: UK charity coordinating a network of church-based shelters and providing food and casework to people experiencing homelessness in London. Directly comparable community-led model delivering food alongside housing and support pathways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NewburySoup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUMi2r12mVfHGXU8Qd7Bcdg
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewburySoupKitchen
• Instagraminstagram.com/newburysoupkitchen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newbury-soup-kitchen

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Newbury Soup Kitchen