Soups and Santas raise £32k for Jersey charities

Sales of soup and a sleigh of sprinting Santas have raised a total of £32,000 for two Jersey charities in annual fundraisers in St Helier this past week.

The Shelter Trust Soup Kitchen took place in the Royal Square on Tuesday (9 December)

41 flavours cooked up by local restaurants, hotels and community groups, were served up for a donation of at least £3 per cup.

Thousands of people queued for a delicious liquid lunch, while school choirs sang Christmas songs to add to the special atmosphere of the occasion,

Organisers say the total raised is £22,000.  That is £2,000 more than last year.

That money goes towards providing food and shelter to the 100 homeless people the Shelter Trust supports every night.

Mike Powell, Chair of Trustees for Shelter Trust, said it was a wonderful turnout, with fantastic community support:

“For many this is the start of Christmas involving the broadest cross section of our community who come together in recognition that there is always someone less fortunate.

"Grateful thanks to Richard and Susie Robins and all their team, our sponsors LGH Wealth, all those who contributed soup and bread and all the other services that are required to make this event such a success including of course all our volunteers and everyone who chose to have soup with Shelter.”

Meanwhile, the annual Santa Dash, which took place in St Helier last Thursday (4 December) has raised more than £10,000 for Jersey Hospice Care.

450 people dressed in red Santa suits and ran a mile route through town.

Cheri Strudwick, Director of Income Generation, Jersey Hospice Care said:

“We’re so grateful to everyone who showed up and supported their Hospice through this event – whether running, cheering on, volunteering, or leaving a donation.

"To see so many Santas dashing through the streets of St Helier is truly a sight to behold and the funds raised help us to keep caring for Islanders and supporting their loved ones when they need it most.

"We’d also like to say a big thank you to our sponsors Ogier – and their huge team of Santas! – for their collaboration and support making this event possible."