“Poverty comes into it, and there have been a lot of job losses. A lot of people just don’t have a cushion. “But we never ask questions – if people turn up hungry, they’ll be fed.”

He was speaking after the Soup Run was awarded five stars out of five by Bradford Council’s Environmental Health officers. The rating covers food hygiene, structure and confidence in management, and John welcomed the news.

“We worked hard to achieve this,” he said.

“Thanks must go to our compliance officer, Rob Peters, who advised and prepared us, as well as our food suppliers – Crompton’s Butchers of Thackley, Moore Bakery Ltd of Essex Park Industrial Estate and Morrisons supermarket for their excellent quality of fruit and vegetables.”

John also praised the Soup Run’s volunteers. “Much credit should be taken by our team of volunteers, who have worked hard to maintain our ethos that people who are homeless shouldn’t have to eat poor quality food,” he said. “We were also advised and guided by the Environmental Health team, who were most helpful. “I know the people we feed appreciate the effort taken to produce an excellent meal each week and we will continue to maintain our high standards, as we have done over the past 39 years.”

When asked about his hopes for the future, John was uncertain.

“We don’t make the policies, we’re reactive,” he said. “I don’t know if the cost of living crisis will get better or get worse. “We did put pressure on the Government during Covid to make sure people who were homeless were eligible for priority treatment and got vaccinated straight away, but that was a rarity. “We usually just work around things – we respond to situations, and just do what we have to do. “We have a good team, and we always go the extra mile.” (from Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 5th April 2023)