Phil Tudor volunteers at Newbury Soup Kitchen as our graphic designer. He was one of our first clients in the Soup Kitchen when we opened our doors in January 2017. At the time he was homeless himself and living in a car park. He is now housed and building his life again. This is in his own words his story of his scrape with “Modern Day Slavery”
It was a hot August Sunday afternoon when I was sat on the bench in the high street watching the world go by. It was not unusual for passers-by to stop and chat; Newbury is full of friendly people. A young man in his thirties with a child in his arms introducing himself as Mark said, “hello, how are you?” as if he knew me, I said, “I’m OK, could be better.” He probably guessed I was homeless and jobless by the shoulder bag and sleeping bag by my side. He then asked me if I would like some work, “I’ll pay £50 a day” he said, “bit of gardening work, clearing leaves and stuff, we’ll feed you too”. I was very tempted; the money would be so good. I said to him that I probably haven’t got the energy to do a good job and thanked him for the offer. He said “there’s no rush, you can take it easy to start with until you get used to it”, “we have a caravan in the garden which you can live in and we’ll feed you good food, you’ll soon get your energy back” he went on to say that his house was in Thatcham which tempted me more as my best mate lives there so I would get to see him more often. I um’d and ah’d a bit then he said “come with me, take a look at my van and gardening tools”, “it’s parked round by Camp Hopsons, my wife is getting a top up tan from the sun bed centre, I have to pick her up in a bit”
I agreed to go to his van and take a look at the gardening tools, when we got there his wife was waiting for him and he introduced me to her as ‘the new worker’. They both seemed friendly enough so I decided to give it a go. He opened the van’s side door and told me to jump in and hold tight, I had to sit on the dirty, dusty floor. As he drove off I noticed there were no windows and the driver’s cab was partitioned off so I could not see where we where going. It was a very rough ride as he seemed to be driving fast and hammering round bends, I was being thrown all over the place, I really did have to hold on tight!
Anyway, after what seemed to be a long journey it sounded like he’d turned in to a gravel drive, it seemed a rather long gravel drive making me think he lived in a big house. The van finally came to a stop, I could hear them getting out and shuffling about a bit, I couldn’t open the door from the inside as there was no handle, after a few moments the door slid open, as I stepped out and brushed myself down I could see that we were not in Thatcham. This was in fact a traveller’s encampment.
I innocently asked “oh, what part of Thatcham is this then?” he replied, “well, this is Aldermaston actually”. My heart sank, as I knew this was not a good idea after all. I began instantly making plans in my mind on how to get out of here. I knew someone who works nearby so I thought this might be my best chance.
I have to admit I was seriously worried about what I’d got myself into but I didn’t want to show it, I decided to stay calm and play along whilst making observations and plans for an escape, taking in all the possibilities. I made it seem to Mark that I was keen to work with him and even offered to design a logo and sign write the van, I spoke a lot about how to increase his customer base as if I was really interested, by doing this I thought he would be more confident with me thinking I would not even think of escaping, that way he would trust me and not have to keep his eye on me all the time, giving me a bit more freedom so to speak.
Mark took me to the caravan and showed me around, he explained that there was no electricity but he plans to wire it up soon. There was also no water supply and the toilet was in a little shed just outside the caravan, it wasn’t even plumbed in! And no toilet roll…
He asked if I wanted something to eat but I declined even though I was hungry. He then said “do you want some booze? I could drive to the shop and get you some drink” so as it was a sweltering day I said “I could do with a cold lager” . . . “anything else” he said, and as my vape battery had died I asked if I could have some tobacco, cigarette papers and a lighter, he said “no problem, see you in a bit”.
As he drove off I started thinking how I could get out of here, the place was surrounded by wooden fences and an iron gate at the entrance which he closed on leaving. There were a few travellers milling around and dogs running about. I could run to the gate and clamber my way over and make a dash for the A.W.E. to alert the police as it was nearby. But the noise of the gravel driveway while running and then clambering over the gate would raise attention and I would soon be chased by the travellers. So I decided to give that idea a miss, I wondered around for about 15 minutes making more observations and rearranging my escape plan on the go. When Mark came back he’d bought me the tobacco and stuff with a huge bottle of cider, I asked for lager I thought! Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers.
Before I had a chance to sip the cider he said “come and meet my father, he’s through that fence over there” we clambered through a small door entrance in the wooden fence where his father was tending to a very large bonfire. It was blazing away fiercely, I could not go anywhere near it because of the shear heat. He introduced me to his father explaining that they burn everything on the fire because it’s the easy way of getting rid of things. After a short conversation we left his father tending the bonfire and walked back to the van so I could get a drink and roll a cigarette, Mark asked me to roll him one so I did, he was asking me questions like, do I have any relatives around here? Will anyone miss me in Newbury? Etc. I said I knew a lot of people and had a few friends who will be wondering where I am. He went on to say that he had a brother who he fell out with and that he died in a fire, then for some reason I thought about that raging bonfire.
He was also explaining about the work I would be doing, cutting grass, raking leaves and loading it onto the van to be bought back to the site and burned on the bonfire. He said the job was in Caversham, Reading and we were to go there tomorrow (which was a Bank Holiday Monday) and that the customer wants his lawn raked of leaves and a few overhanging branches cut down. He again said that I could take it easy at first until I get used to it. He also told me that he had two Polish lads working for him but they “disappeared”.
As the evening went on I quenched my thirst with a little cider and had a few smokes. I decided not to drink too much as I needed to keep my wits about me, I needed to be ready at the chance of escape, and besides, I didn’t know what would happen to me if I became a drunken wreck!
Eventually I made my way to the caravan and opened my sleeping bag onto the bed. I laid there for a long while planning my escape. I didn’t get undressed as I needed to be ready to go. It must have been around midnight when I noticed how quiet it was apart from the occasional dog barking and the crackling of the bonfire. I realised there was no way to escape in the night as I would make so much noise on the gravelled ground. I decided to wait until morning to rethink my plans. I was a bit nervous about falling asleep as I was thinking about what they might do to me, you never know. Eventually I fell asleep with no trouble.
It must have been around 5:30am when I woke up, I poured a cup of cold coffee from my flask and went outside to drink it. The sky looked bright and clear and it was so peaceful, I began thinking this might be a good time to get out of here. I walked around a bit trying to be as quiet as I can; nobody was around as I scanned the area for a possible escape plan. I went back to the caravan and picked up my bag then slowly and quietly made my way toward the iron gates.
I didn’t get too far when a dog came up to me wagging its tail, he seemed friendly so I didn’t panic at that point. I bent down to stroke him and got him to follow me toward the gates, I thought if I act normal he would not cause any alarm, but as I got nearer the gate I noticed that there was still a long way to go after I climb over before I could get out onto the main road, I could get over the gate but the dog might start barking as I was trying to leave. I abandoned that idea and walked back to the caravan, rolled a cigarette and sat for a while. I was starting to get worried, as all my plans so far wouldn’t work out. I began thinking that I could be stuck here for some while. I felt like I was trapped but I would never stop thinking about an escape plan.
It seemed like ages watching the sun get higher in the sky and the air warming up, it was Bank Holiday Monday morning and I really didn’t feel ready for a whole days work.
Eventually I started hearing people out and about, a couple of dogs were barking.
Peeping out of the window I saw no one. I drew back the curtains and waited.
Then, what must have been around 7:30am Mark shouted “Phil! Are you ready to go?” I stepped out the door and said, “of course I am, I’ve been up for ages” walking towards the van that he was starting up I stepped into some dog poo, yuk! I went over to a patch of grass where I could rub it from my shoe. When I got in the van he noticed I was carrying my shoulder bag, he said “leave your bag in the caravan, you don’t need it”. I said “my flask was in there and I had some coffee in it which I got from Loose Ends yesterday”. Anyway, we drove off out the gates and onto the main road, a short while later he turned into a shop car park and said he had to get something for his wife. He left me in the van while he went into the shop. I instantly thought about jumping out and making a run for it, I would have to scramble across the driver’s seat in order to get out the driver’s side as there was no inner door handle on my side of the van, but I’ll have to do it right away, no hesitation! Then my brain told me I was too far from anywhere and he could catch up with me using the van, I also thought about running into the shop for sanctuary, my heart was beating heavy as I was thinking about what to do, then Mark came back out of the shop with a packet of cigarettes for his wife and a couple of bottles of fizzy orange. As he started the engine he passed me a bottle which I instantly opened and sipped from “Thanks” I said “I needed that!” he said “you’re gonna need that as it’s going to get very hot today”
As we drove back onto the main road he was driving very erratically, drifting to the centre of the road and not keeping a straight line, he was driving quite fast while looking out his side window. I got a bit worried at that point thinking we could end up crashing or something.
We got back to the caravan site where he dropped off the cigarettes for his wife. He chatted with her for a while before getting back in the van and driving to work. There was not much traffic on the road and he was driving like an idiot! On the way there he started asking me questions again like, would I be missed by anyone? Have I any relations? Where do my friends live etc. He kept breaking into song, singing some weird tune I’d never heard before, he did had a good singing voice though.
After a long and winding scary ride we eventually arrived in Reading, we drove through Tilehurst where I used to live; memories started flooding back for me.
As we got closer to Reading town the traffic was getting heavy and slow moving, I then realised that the Reading Festival was on and this was a very busy time for the town. It took us ages to get across town to Caversham. When we did get there we were stuck in heavy traffic, not moving at times, there were lots of people walking about. I was thinking about jumping out and getting lost in the crowd, but I remembered there is no door handle on my side. This would have been my easiest chance so far had there been a door handle!
After a long and sweltering drive through Caversham we eventually got out the other side and ended up in Surley Row, a nice area of Emmer Green. We drove into the driveway of the customer’s house, both got out of the van, he told me to get out the chainsaw, rake and shovel and to start raking the leaves from the lawn while he went and knocked on the door. There were a lot of leaves and they had built up in the flowerbeds, I carefully cleared the flowerbeds being careful not to damage any plants and raked the leaves into piles on the lawn. Mark said he needed to go and get some petrol for the chain saw, “I won’t be long,” he said.
‘Now’s my chance’ I thought. He drove off and left me to it. I was ready to get the hell out of there and make my way to freedom when I realised that my bag was still in the van which contained my dead mobile phone, flask, a rolled up lightweight jacket and most importantly all my identity papers and passport, plus a few other bits and bobs. I was devastated! Another chance to escape but I would lose my passport and mobile phone – I couldn’t risk it. I had to stay and carry on working. It was blazing hot and I was sweating so much raking the leaves into piles. I hadn’t eaten for a while and was using up too much energy, I was getting weaker. My bottle of fizzy orange was also in the van and I really needed a drink. I should have knocked on the door to ask for a glass of water but didn’t think about that at the time, all that was occupying my mind was a way to escape.
Mark had been gone for some while and I would have had plenty of time to get away from the house. I was so gutted, every opportunity of freedom had failed so far, but I had to stay calm and alert looking at other opportunities that may arise.
He eventually returned in the van and refuelled the chainsaw, started it up and began cutting off the lower branches of one of the trees. I carried on raking and shovelling the leaves into the back of the van, there were no garden bags so it all had to be piled in loose. Mark also asked me to chuck the cut branches into the van but they were too large to fit in, so he began cutting them down to size on the lawn, he then passed me the chain saw and said “here, you have a go” so I did! And loaded them onto the van which was already starting to get full.
After I’d finished he took the chainsaw from me and returned to cutting the branches from the tree, he’d cut all the lower ones but was now stretching his arms up to reach the rest of them. He was getting frustrated and decided to bring the van into the garden across the lawn and park it under the tree. I thought this was so unprofessional but things got worse. He went into the customer’s garage and took out a step ladder without even asking, he then clambered onto the top of the van pulling the step ladder up with him, climbing the step ladder perched on top of the van with a running chainsaw in one hand I could see he was wobbling about quite a bit, this could be very dangerous I thought, he could slip and injure himself. But that would be a chance for me to escape!
As he was struggling to keep steady on the step ladder attempting to cut through the higher branches I began to become concerned, I shouted “hold on a minute Mark”! “I’ll come up and hold the ladder for you”. I climbed up onto the van roof and held the stepladder, which easily slid about on the metal roof. It was a bit of a struggle for me but it seemed slightly safer, or so I thought. As he was sawing through the branches above me I was getting covered in wood dust and chippings.
He’d cut downward on the first branch when the chainsaw swung down missing my head by inches that frightened the life out of me! I made an effort to keep my head down lower as he carried on cutting and swinging the chainsaw downward, I couldn’t look up to see what was going on because of all the dust and chippings flying around, it was getting in my eyes and covering my head and sticking in my hair. And there were branches falling around my feet.
This was a very scary moment!
When he finally cut all the branches he could reach, we both got down from the van and I carried on cutting the fallen branches down to size with the chainsaw, loading them onto the van. Then I said I needed a drink as my mouth was so dry from all the dust, it was in my eyes and difficult to rub away. At this point the man of the house came out and asked if we would like a cup of tea, “Yes please” I shouted, gasping and sweating. As he went back inside to make the tea, Jamie drove the van back over to the driveway of the house and I sat on the garden wall waiting for that well-earned cuppa. Mark then went over to the next tree to cut off the lower branches and some of the overgrown shrubs around the border. It seemed to take ages for the man to make the tea so I told Mark “I’m just going over to the van to get a drink of orange” arriving at the van I could not open the passenger door to get the bottle, it was locked! So I walked round to the drivers door, opened it and reached over for the fizzy orange, at the same time I spotted my shoulder bag in the foot well, without even thinking I grabbed the bag and left the bottle there, walking back round the van with my bag and making a dash toward the road, I could hear the chainsaw going so I knew Mark would not hear me running across the gravel driveway, so I dashed through the gate and along the pavement, then I was running for my life! I don’t know where my energy came from but I was going full pelt smelling the freedom. I’d got round the corner into another road and noticed a lady tending to her front garden, out of breath and sweating profusely I asked her if I could hide in her garden as someone is after me, she looked up and told me to go and hide in next door’s garden as they are away for the week. I thought it was strange that she took it all as a normal occurrence, she didn’t seem bothered or concerned and carried on with her weeding. I ran into next doors garden and crouched down behind a bush, I felt my heart pumping so heavy; it felt like it was trying to break out of my chest! I could feel the blood pumping in my neck and temples; I was shaking and soaked in sweat. But I felt slightly relieved to be on my way to freedom.
After about a minute and a half I could still hear the chainsaw in the distance so I decided to leave the safety of the bush and started running down the road, I wasn’t sure which direction I was going but it didn’t matter to me at the time, I just knew that as long as I could still hear the chainsaw in the distance that I could keep running and that Mark hasn’t noticed that I’ve gone. Running as fast as I could to gain some distance, hoping to find someone and ask for help, or stopping a car for a lift into town, but there was not a soul around. I kept running, the sound of the chainsaw getting further and further away, but it was still going, Mark was still cutting branches, that’s all I needed to know. A way down the road I spotted a couple chatting in their garden, I stopped to ask them which direction is Reading or if there was a police station nearby, they said the police station was in town and gave me directions and said it was a very long walk. I thanked them and carried on my way, this time I was walking, exhausted and overheated.
The sound of the chainsaw was getting more and more distant, but I could still hear it, my ears seemed to be tuned into it, then, after a little while I heard it stop. Soon Mark will realise I’m not there, I thought he would not know which direction I was heading so he may not bother coming to find me. I carried on walking toward Reading. The sun was burning and my mouth was dry, my eyes were itchy with wood dust, but I was free, that’s all that mattered at that time.
After walking some way along the road toward Caversham I heard the sound of a diesel engine from behind getting closer and closer, I knew it was Mark coming for me, but I didn’t look round.
The van slowed down and cruised beside me while I carried on walking, but I still didn’t look round.
Then Mark shouted “Phil, what’s up? Don’t you want to work? I thought you liked it, what’s the matter?” I was so out of breath and said that I’d had enough and the job’s not for me. He politely said “OK, get in the van and I’ll take you back to the caravan, you can have the rest of the day off” I wasn’t falling for that line, I told him I wanted to go to Reading and stay there for a while, saying this I thought that he would not try to find me in Newbury when I got back. He then said “jump in the van, I’ll drive you to Reading” again I wasn’t falling for it, he carried on trying to convince me, shouting from the van while driving along side me, after a while of me being stubborn he seemed to give up and drove off at speed. I felt a breeze of freedom wafting my face.
Then about a couple of minutes later I heard the van coming up from behind again, this time at speed with high revs, I had visions of him mounting the pavement and running me down. He jammed the van to a halt and jumped out swearing at me, his mood had changed to anger, he walked up to me and squared up in front, stopping me in my tracks. Swearing loudly and telling me to get in the van. I refused and tried to walk around him but he kept blocking my way, I then kept moving forward making him walk backward and kept on saying “get back in the van!”, I thought he was going to grab me and throw me in there, he was bigger than me but I had no fear of him, then he said again “get in the van and I’ll take you to Reading” I still refused, “OK, I’ll drive you back to Newbury” he said “just get in the van!” I remained calm but stubborn and carried on walking trying to dodge round him, I somehow knew that if I got back in the van that I would be in serious danger, I had to keep going. He didn’t at any time attempt to touch me or grab me and gave up again, jumping back in the van and storming off, he was very angry indeed, I could hear him shouting and swearing out the window as he raced away.
After a short while I ended up walking along Hemdean Road, Caversham. This was very familiar to me so I knew where I was and where I was going. There were a few more people out and about now which made me feel like I ‘belonged’ somehow. I looked forward to walking into Reading Police Station to ask them to call my friend. I was walking my way to freedom on a hot sunny day thinking how wonderful life is and how good it is to be alive. My face felt sunburned and my clothes were damp with sweat, but I didn’t care, I felt good at last, I’d got through what could have been a desperate situation. I felt a huge sense of relief, with emotions I’d never felt before. I felt like singing out loud and hugging every passing stranger. I’d probably get locked up for that behaviour but that would be better than what could have been.
I didn’t have a care in the world at that point.
And then I heard the van speeding toward me from behind, again he jumped out and shouted at me “get back in the ******* van” he was fuming with rage, I even thought that he may have contacted some of his traveller friends to come and get me, I was getting worried now, he didn’t seem to be giving up! Again he tried to get in front of me and stop me from walking, this time I stopped and told him “I don’t want to work for you, I’m going back to Reading”, he carried on shouting and swearing even though there were a lot of people about. He was stamping his ground in front of me while I was trying to barge by, I was hoping someone would notice and step in to help, but that didn’t happen. Then, eventually after some barging and shoving he stormed off back to his van, shouting obscenities at me and calling me names and even shouting “You deserve to be homeless you scumbag!” I smiled inside.
Anyway, he drove off and I was almost in Caversham. A few minutes later I’d got to the shopping precinct and found a public toilet where I could get some water, I washed out my flask and filled it.
Then I made my way over Caversham Bridge only to see hundreds of people walking along the riverside making their way from Reading Festival. I spotted a bench under a shady tree by the river and headed towards it, I could mingle with the crowd and not be found.
I got to the bench, sat down to get my breath back, took another sip of water and relished my new freedom, Mark will never find me now, the way I was dressed with my long hair and beard I could easily be one of the festival goers.
As I wiped the sweat from my forehead I noticed how gritty my skin was and how sore it felt, my face was pitted with sawdust so I used my shirt to wipe it off, then as I fingered my hair back, I could feel lumps of wood chipping’s tangle up in my hair, I must have looked a right state, no wonder people were giving me funny looks. So I sat there picking out the chipping’s and smiling at the festival goers passing by. They didn’t have a care in the world, and nor did I.
After enjoying some time on the bench under the shade of the tree I decided to walk back over the bridge to the other side of the river where I could lay on the grass and chill out for a while, when I got there I just collapsed onto the ground and promptly fell asleep. I must have slept for some time as it was starting to get a bit chilly so I knew it was late afternoon or early evening.
I got up and walked from Caversham to Reading town centre. On arrival I was amazed how much it had changed since I was last there. I walked around for a bit looking in the shop windows and noticed what a state I looked in my reflections. I made my way toward the Police Station with the intention of asking them to phone my friend, but when I got nearer I lost my nerve and changed my mind, I don’t know why. Then I found no choice but to stay here for the night and decide what to do in the morning. I ended up sleeping on the top steps of the Magistrates Court next to the Police Station. It was cold and I’d left my sleeping bag back in the caravan, I only had a light jacket to cover me. But I was determined to get through this trying hard to get some sleep which I eventually did.
I was woken early in the morning by someone hoovering inside the door that I was sleeping against. I got up and left and headed back toward town thinking about what I should do next.
I ended up wondering around town all day hoping to see if there was anyone I knew, I hadn’t lived in Reading for some years so I doubted that would happen. Still thinking about going to the Police Station for help but not having the front to do it. I stayed another day drifting into the night walking around and noticing many homeless people squatting in shop doorways, there were a lot of them, many of them had begging bowls which made me think that I should do the same in order to raise some bus fare back to Newbury. At the end of the day I decided to sleep in the Magistrates doorway again, I somehow felt safe there. I still hadn’t eaten anything so it was difficult to sleep.
Woke up early again by the cleaners inside. Went back to town and spent another day there, still wondering how I could get back to Newbury with no money.
I was sat on a wall by the side of the Butts Centre looking ‘homeless’ where I was approached a few times by youngsters offering to sell me drugs. I sat there for some time exhausted and hungry watching the world go by seeing people walking by with bag loads of shopping, bags of food. I was wondering if I should start begging, it’s something I’ve never done before and I wasn’t looking forward to having to do it. But I was so hungry that I had to do something.
As I was sat there wondering what to do a group of people started gathering along the wall beside me, I think they were Tibetan or something judging by their clothing, I’m not sure.
As time went by, more and more of them gathered sitting on the wall sharing conversation in their foreign tongue. There was a whole line of them eventually and I was sat on the end of that line, I felt like I could be intruding and nearly walked off but I felt too exhausted to get up and walk around. I stayed put.
Then one of the elder gentlemen who was stood up in front of the others had a couple of bags of shopping from which he pulled out a packet of biscuits and passed one to each of the people sitting along the wall, then he opened a packet of sweets and passed them round too, this was making my tummy rumble, I was starving hungry and wondering if I should ask him for a biscuit, but I didn’t have the nerve. Then he opened a packet of thick chocolate biscuits and passed one to me and then to all the others, I bowed my head and thanked him, he smiled back at me and bowed his head too. He kept bringing out sweets from his shopping bag passing them round but serving me first, I felt very honoured. As I bit into a biscuit I went “Mmmmm” and nodded my head in appreciation, the guy beside me copied me and then a few others did the same. I ended up staying there for a while with them sharing smiles and head nodding and eating biscuits and sweets, it turned out to be a pleasant afternoon. And I felt so honoured for them to include me and make me feel as though I ‘belonged’.
After a few hours they got up and went on their way smiling and nodding at me as they left, I felt really special. We didn’t speak to each other but they seemed to enjoy my company. I’ll never forget those nice people.
I spent another night in the same doorway getting a better nights sleep but waking up a bit late, there were a lot of people around sitting on the steps and milling around. I got up and left heading back into town. While I was walking around the shops it suddenly dawned on me, I could contact my friend through Facebook on a computer in the library, I’m a member of West Berkshire Library so I thought they might allow me to use my card. I asked at the reception but they said no, I would have to join their library in order to use the computers. So I joined up using my I.D. and paperwork, got my card, and logged on to Facebook. I told my friend of my predicament and he said “Wait outside the Police Station, I’ll pick you up as soon as I can” He’d actually took time out from his job to come and get me. After waiting a short while it was a relief to see him, on the way back to Newbury I told him all about my ‘adventure’, he explained that I was very lucky to have got out of it as many people don’t, and some even ‘disappear’.
When I got back to Newbury I felt so relaxed again, hungry but happy. It was Thursday by then so there was no Loose Ends to get food, and Newbury Soup Kitchen had not yet been born.
Later that day I went back to my usual doorway and prepared for a good nights sleep.
The next morning I could get breakfast from Loose Ends and a new sleeping bag and some other bits and pieces. I told the volunteers of my ordeal and at the next session they had produced leaflets warning about Modern Slavery and Abduction. They were very concerned and worried about it happening to someone else.
Later on that day while I was sat in the library charging my phone and vape, two Police Officers came to see me after hearing about my ordeal, they questioned me about what I’d been through and walked me to the Police station to try and identify traveller people photos on their data base and also to verify the traveller encampment.
They then told me that they had arranged a room for me at Two Saints where I could stay for a while for my own safety, I declined the offer saying that I felt safe enough in my doorway, they also registered my phone number so that they could keep track of where I was, and that I could call them without having to speak on the phone so they could find me if it should ever happen again.
I learned lessons through my ordeal and I’m shocked at how easy it is to get sucked in.
The homeless and vulnerable were warned and informed after my ordeal so I just hope that everyone is aware.
The numbers provided are for you to use if you suspect any Modern Day Slavery I’d happening to people you know. Whether it is domestic violence, debt bondage, exploitation, domestic slavery/servitude or any form of trafficking. Keep your eyes open. Statistics say that you WILL walk past someone today who is suffering from Modern Day Slavery.
Phil has written more about his experience with Newbury Soup Kitchen which is on our website in “Success Stories” section.