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to people with life-disrupting problems |
Bristol charity centre expands
From the BBC Bristol, 14:34 GMT, Wednesday, 30 December 2009.
(Follow the link to the BBC site to hear the interview with Alan Goddard.)
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A Bristol charity centre that provides meals for hundreds of vulnerable people every week of the year is on the move.
Services provided by the Wild Goose cafe in St Pauls have proved so popular that the centre is uprooting to larger premises.
The Wild Goose is run by Crisis Centre Ministries, a local Christian charity based in the city.
They help people who have 'life-disrupting problems' such as homelessness, addiction and debt.
The Wild Goose is open six days a week and feeds around 300 vulnerable people a day.
Manager Alan Goddard, who thinks there are about 40 homeless people in the city, said: "We are just about to sign contracts to buy the Queen Vic pub on Stapleton Road in Easton.
"Hopefully [there] we will [be able to] sit around 100 to 130 people whereas at the moment we sit 12."
The organisation has been in St Paul's for around 25 years but now their current home, the coffee shop on City Road, has become too small.
Mr Goddard said: "Last year we helped 307 people off the streets; this year we'd like to help a lot more in all sorts of ways.
"We are very blessed. Most of the churches in Bristol support us financially and so do many individuals - we also have about 140 volunteers [who] come in so faithfully.
"I don't believe anyone really chooses to fall into addiction, or actually live on the streets. That's just part of life. It happens to you."
Mr Goddard said that the move would cost around £440,000.
"I'm probably one of the happiest people around because I love my job," added Mr Goddard.
"I love seeing people get their lives back together. It's not about the money because we don't get paid fantastic wages, but I think we get peace of mind as we do what we can."