Day of the Soup to tackle the winter blues
People suffering from the winter blues are invited to share soup and get to know their neighbours at a series of events this month.
Three churches in Cardiff are hosting "Day of the Soup" events, in partnership with other faith groups, to help tackle loneliness in their diverse communities. It is part of the Great Winter Get Together which launches on Blue Monday (January 16) – dubbed the most depressing day of the year.
Day of the Soup has been organised by Fr Dean Atkins from St Mary’s Church Butetown. Different faith groups will serve homemade soup, based on recipes which relate to their heritage and family histories. All the soups will be vegetarian to ensure everyone can eat them, regardless of their culture and religion.
Butetown was one of the UK’s first multicultural communities with people from more than 50 countries and cultures finding sanctuary there in the early 20th Century.
Fr Dean says serving free soup is a simple way of extending a welcome to all who live in the local area.
He says, “Day of the Soup is about tackling isolation and loneliness and giving people the opportunity to get together and socialize. It offers people a way of finding out about each other’s history and heritage in a welcoming space. Soup is a cheap and nutritious food so it speaks to the cost-of-living crisis and helps provide a warm, safe space for anyone in need of company. It’s a simple and effective way of bringing community together to celebrate diversity.”
Each organisation, including Cardiff Synagogue, the Islamic Centre and three primary schools, will create and supply their own soup which will have a story or significance behind the recipe. St Mary’s Church will be contributing Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup which has been a favourite at previous events and so is a constant link between all the church events across the years.
Fr Dean said, “We wanted to make a soup that didn't use many ingredients but tasted great to show what's possible from just a few inexpensive items. It’s a bit like community work - it only takes a few people to make a big difference!”
Fr Dean received funding to host the events from Cardiff Council which the participants can use for ingredients and equipment for the day.
The Day of Soup event will be held at the three locations of the churches in the ministry area:
- January 17 - St Saviour’s Church Splott
- January 24 - St Mary’s Church Butetown
- January 26 - St Paul’s Church, Grangetown
Each event will run from 3pm to 4.30pm and include weather-dependent activities in and outside the churches with the opportunity to donate to local projects and causes.
The Great Winter Get Together is organised by the Jo Cox Foundation which brings communities together to promote a kinder and more tolerant world.
Fr Dean is encouraged that this ‘Great Winter Get Together’ will inspire inter-faith and inter-denominational community and fun. He said, “The reason we are doing these events now is because of the seasonal isolation and loneliness and it ties into Blue Monday. It is to bring that light and cheer, and hope and happiness, to people which is our calling as Christians."
The Great Get Together is inspired by the late Jo Cox MP, who was killed on 16th June 2016. Events in Jo’s name, like the Day of Soup, now take place annually across the UK with the aim of building bridges, tackling loneliness and ‘showing the collective power we have as a community’. Go to https://www.greatgettogether.org/about for more information and to find an event near you.