Leading housebuilder donates £5,000 to support West Country homelessness and foodbank charities through lockdown

Leading housebuilder David Wilson Homes has donated £5,000 to 5 charities across the West Country to help support homeless people and provide emergency food as they face the latest, and potentially longest lockdown.

One of the charities to receive funds is Bristol Soup Run Trust, which aims to ensure that every night of the year food and other essential supplies are given free of charge to people on the streets of Bristol. With an annual turnover of £30,000, organisers say the housebuilder’s £1,000 donation will make a huge difference. Part of the donation will be used to fund a bulk purchase of sleeping bags that are in high demand this time of year. Staff from David Wilson Homes have gone a step further and will also be volunteering with the charity to hand out food in the evenings.

The five star housebuilder, which is currently building new homes at Ladden Garden Village in Yate and Park Farm in Thornbury, has also donated £1,000 to the North Bristol Foodbank. Foodbanks saw a huge increase in demand due to the Covid pandemic and further donations are needed to help provide food to those in need into the new year following strong support in the run up to Christmas.

David Wilson Homes’ donation follows a £9,000 contribution to food banks across the South West in response to the Covid pandemic last year. Together with its sister company Barratt Homes, the housebuilders donate £3,000 every month to local causes in the South West as part of the company’s commitment to supporting the communities where they are building new homes.

Martyn Jones Director of Bristol Soup Run Trust said:

“We’d like to say a big thank you to David Wilson Homes. It’s been a really tough year for everyone, but donations like this help the Bristol Soup Run Trust provide food and supplies to some of the worst affected people in our city. Our volunteers are so important in offering a friendly smile and a willing ear so we’re excited to welcome members of the David Wilson Homes team to our amazing community of helpers.”

Chris Popkin from North Bristol Foodbank added: 

“With the coronavirus outbreak we have seen a huge surge in demand for food parcels. As we enter the new year we need to continue to be able to offer this crucial support to those who need it most. The generous donation from David Wilson Homes will help us continue to provide the lifeline of emergency food and additional support for people in crisis throughout the new year.” 

James Dune, managing director at David Wilson Homes South West said: 

“It’s important to us to make a positive contribution to the communities we build in and these charities were chosen because of the amazing work they do for homelessness across the South West. This year it feels even more important to provide additional support. We are hugely grateful to the staff and volunteers at Bristol Soup Run Trust and the North Bristol Foodbank for their incredibly valuable work and we’re pleased too to have the opportunity for some of our team to start volunteering for them. We hope our contribution enables these charities to continue to spread that support widely.”