Big Breakfast Plus

Big Breakfast Plus has been supporting and serving local homeless people since 1993. They provide free cooked breakfasts 7 days a week, serving over 7,000 breakfasts a year, a number that is rapidly growing. The group not only provide the opportunity for a hot meal but also a chance to socialise and meet with outreach workers from local partner organisations who offer advice and sign-posting to help with housing, physical and mental health, drug and alcohol addiction, finance and debt.

We have been working with Big Breakfast Plus since 2001, supporting them after they lost their local authority funding. In 2019 we awarded a three year grant of £10,000 to support the salary of a part-time project co-ordinator who is able to work day to day to ensure the smooth and regular running of the group.

Rosemary Curtis is the group's secretary she explained why the group is so important in the community “These are people who live chaotic, muddled lives. For them this is a safe place and it is a place for them to socialise, which is something they don’t do anywhere else. Living on the streets can be a very scary, lonely place. We give them choice when there’s very little choice their lives. Even a choice of menu is something they don’t have the luxury of anywhere else. When they come in here, they can choose what cereal they want, whether they have a cooked breakfast or a vegetarian breakfast. It is something they can control. We are really grateful to the support of the community. In general people in Swindon are really willing to make a difference to their community and help people to get off the streets. Their support for us has been wonderful.

"We are a small charity that makes a big impact. The dedication of our volunteers, getting up at 5 or 6am every day in all kinds of weather to help those less fortunate than themselves is so special and it does help change lives."