An organisation which provides food for homeless people in Manchester city centre has been told it can no longer park on Piccadilly Gardens.
Volunteers at Street Treats, which runs a street kitchen in the city centre spot claim they have been told they can't park their van in the public space or it will be "booked". The group, founded eight years ago, prepares and distributes homemade food every Thursday evening from the spot, and volunteers park up a food van and several other vehicles with supplies.
The street kitchen runs between 7-9pm, and the issue came to a head last week when volunteers say they were told they were not allowed to park on the area in front of the gardens, and that if they returned the following week they would be booked. The council have also said that they have been clear that they do not think Piccadilly Gardens is a "suitable place" to run the operation from.
Darryl Pollitt, one of the co-founders of Street Treats told the Manchester Evening News: "We've been running eight years and we park up every Thursday evening and distribute food, drink and clothing. The issue is with the cars, which are filled with all of the above.
"The police have said they don't have an issue with us doing the soup kitchen but with the vehicles, however we've said we can't do the work without them. And they've said they're going to book us."
Despite concern that they may be booked for not having a permit, Darryl says Street Treats will continue because of the great demand for the service. She added: "We're still going to continue to do it because there's a massive queue of people, like 100 people waiting for food.
"Our argument is that when its the Christmas Markets, vans are allowed to park and while they don't park there all day, they usually have an hour in the morning and evening when they set up and close down, which is similar to it - we're only there from 7pm to latest 9pm."
The organisation, which gives out hot and cold food, plus toiletries and clothing for homeless people and those in need, launched a one-off fundraiser to raise funds to buy the main van before the pandemic and says their work is essential. Between 15-20 volunteers help with the service each week, but there are around 30 volunteers in total working with Street Treats.
"As well as setting up a food bank we also recently launched a trainer appeal and the organisation Sewa Day, which means selfless in Indian, responded to our call for extra help and now provides 40 vegetarian meals for people every Thursday," explained Daryl.
"It has changed a lot over the eight years we have been running it though. We started off feeding rough sleepers, then it changed after Covid because people were being put in the hotels and we went into those to distribute food, and now it's people who sofa surf or are in hostels with no cooking facilities. Also people who are just poor and can't afford food and haven't eaten for days.
"The way the country is right now, I don't see why they're being so horrible. The Police have responded to say it the council's call."
A Manchester council spokesperson said: "Piccadilly Gardens is a busy public space and thoroughfare and we are not in a position to make exceptions to parking rules, however well-intentioned those wanting us to do so are.
"We encourage all street kitchens to link in with homelessness services which can provide wider and long-term support for the underlying issues which the people accessing their food are facing, such as help with any health, addiction or debt issues. We all want the same thing - to help people out of the situations which mean they need to access street kitchens in the first place.
"We have been consistently clear that indoor settings provide a quieter and more sheltered environment for such support - and that Piccadilly Gardens is completely unsuitable as a location. We would be happy to work with Street Treats to help them better link into wider services and find suitable alternative arrangements, including for parking."
Read next:-
The £45.50 all-you-can-eat menu with a slightly stressful time limit
Luxury hot chocolate cafe serving twenty different flavours to open in Manchester
The barber and bistro bringing the food of the West Bank to Stalybridge
- Queues out the door as first Gail's Bakery opens in north west - Manchester gets one next
