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'Life-saver' homeless charity is awarded £50,000

Chris LockyerTaunton
BBC A man wearing a black T-shirt and holding a mug looks at the camera. Behind him is a window ledge with houseplants on, and to his right there is a yellow wall.BBC
Tyler has been visiting Open Door in Taunton for about a year

A homeless charity that offers daily respite to people sleeping rough has been given £50,000 by the Postcode Lottery.

Open Door offers meals, drinks, laundry facilities and showers in Taunton, alongside health and addiction support.

The charity said the money would help to support the upkeep of the building it uses and offer it security.

Tyler, who has used Open Door for the past year, said it was a "life-saver".

Tyler started using the service following a relationship breakdown and issues with previous accommodation.

He said he felt "blessed" to hear of the grant.

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Explaining the mindset of those who use Open Door, Tyler said: "People around here feel so hard done by about the position they're in, they think that no-one has felt the way they feel.

"Some look at you as if you're nothing... but we're all humans."

The Postcode Lottery is a subscription lottery that donates 30% of ticket prices to charity.

Two men stand side-by-side smiling at the camera in the sun. Simon on the left is wearing a blue open collar shirt, with a white leaf pattern, while Ian wears an orange apron over a khaki-green T-shirt. They are standing in front of the sign for the Open Door building.
Simon Hollington (left) and Ian Baker volunteer at the centre

Volunteer Ian Baker said it was "fantastic" to be recognised with the grant, adding it would help with upkeep of the charity's "very old building".

He said: "It's not just the day-to-day support that we offer, it's the building that we're in as well... lovely though it is, it does require a tremendous amount of upkeep and without... generosity of people, we wouldn't be here, quite frankly."

Fellow volunteer Simon Hollington said it was a "damnation of society" that the centre sees up to 300 service users a year.

He said the grant would "make a lot of difference", adding: "Everybody's under pressure, and all charities are under pressure."

Andrew is standing in front of a green door, smiling at the camera. He is wearing a white shirt and black glasses. He has short white hair and stubble.
Andrew Davis said demand for the service has not diminished in 20 years

Andrew Davis, a trustee for Open Door, said the organisation provided a "crucial" service.

"It is disheartening, but the charity has existed for 30 years," he said.

"We've been operating from this building for 20 years and, over that time, the need for our service has not gone down.

"So it appears that there is a permanent need for the sorts of services that we provide."

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