After a gruelling four-day trek along the length of Hadrian’s Wall, a 10 man team spent a long night volunteering with one of Newcastle’s most vital charities.
The 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery based at Albemarle Barracks took on the challenge of doing a training exercise walking the wall and then wanted to volunteer by engaging with a charity rather than fundraising.
Sergeant James Berry, 35, and his team decided to spend an evening washing dishes, peeling potatoes, serving food, and talking to the friends of The People’s Kitchen as a way of putting something back into their local community.
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He said: “Our guys have had a good experience which was both humbling and rewarding. I've enjoyed serving the puddings to the friends and I got a lot out of awareness from talking to people who live a life much different from my own,
“We’ve all taken away a sense of achievement and we know a lot more about the fantastic work of The People’s Kitchen. I know my team will talk to their family and friends and hopefully encourage others to volunteer their time.”
Lesley Black, a Team Leader at The People’s Kitchen who has volunteered for almost 10 years was pleased to welcome the soldiers to the Kitchen.
She said: “The team really settled in quickly and reacted to our requests well. Nothing phased them and they helped us by serving food and looking after our friends. Their military training kicked in as they didn’t need any supervision and we are really honoured to have them working with us.”
The People’s Kitchen also runs on an army of volunteers as no-one is paid for their time and the organisation receives no funding from the Government to carry out its work.
The Kitchen relies on donations from individuals, organisations, and businesses to maintain the level of support it gives to the vulnerable people of Newcastle and its surrounding towns.
Its volunteers have supported people in Newcastle for more than 35 years serving up to 300 meals every session, cooking everything from scratch.
Trustee Maggie Pavlou was delighted that the Army had chosen The People’s Kitchen for its community engagement experience. She said: “Our Armed Forces are always there when you need them wherever in the world that may be.
"We were really pleased to have them come to The Kitchen to lend a hand and talk to our friends. Our Friends were very appreciative too and they gave the soldiers a huge round of applause for their mammoth trek along Hadrian’s Wall and for the help they gave on the night.”
Anyone wishing to donate can do so at www.peopleskitchen.co.uk/donate
