Late December saw Newbury Mountain Club announce that they wished to collect and donate any unwanted outdoor wear to the Newbury Soup Kitchen. This week saw Andy Moss, committee member of the club, deliver a huge amount of gear that will support the rough sleeping homeless in our community. May-Britt of Newbury Soup Kitchen commented:
Thank you to Andy and the rest of the members of the Newbury Mountain Club for the generosity they have shown for the clients of the Soup Kitchen. They have donated so many high quality items such as sleeping bags, two big bags full of thermal clothes, socks, jackets for both men and women, flasks and many other useful things. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
At their meeting, Andy and May-Britt talked about how important donations are and how we use them to help as many people as possible. Andy explained that some of the items have been to Mount Kilimanjaro!
On their Facebook page, Andy wrote:
A great donation from many people in Newbury Mountain Club for the local homeless. I think they’ll soon be some of the best dressed people in town looking at some of the gear that has been donated, but I’m sure it will make a massive difference to those in need. Well done everyone!
Founded in 1991, the club arranges a wide range of outdoor activities from coastal path walks to winter mountaineering in Scotland, the Alps and beyond, including hiking and scrambling to mountain biking and trail running. They organise trips in the UK and abroad with local walks and talks throughout the year. The club meets on the first Tuesday of the month at a local Newbury pub, where the evening is an informal, relaxed and a sociable get together to provide an opportunity to receive details about forthcoming weekend trips or other ad-hoc club events.