Colchester Soup hosts successful events in Colchester

Colchester Soup is an idea taken from America where, in Detroit, Detroit Soup has not only helped the community, it has transformed people’s lives at a time when their city was facing bankruptcy.

Soup is a chance for members of the commnuity to get together to share in some homemade soup and bread, and hear from three projects or businesses that will in some way help the community.

The audience members, who will have paid a donation on the door, then vote for which project they believe deserves the cash donated.

The winner takes the cash, whether the amount is small or large, and puts their project to work.

They return a few months later to share how they are progressing.

“What’s so great about Soup is that it’s the community decides where their money goes, not people behind a desk,” says Karen Taylor, the organiser of Colchester Soup.

The first Colchester Soup was held at Hythe Community Centre in January this year with 40 people attending.

Since then it has been held every two months, with the latest held just last Friday at Firstsite and the next event on November 20 at the Samaritan’s Centre in Walsingham Road from 6.30pm.

Karen first came across the Detroit Soup project several years ago when she was reading a book about the city’s financial decline.

Karen explains: “I was reading a book called The Dark Days of Detroit. It led me to a website called Positive Detroit and the amazing things that were going on there to help regenerate and revitalise the communities.

“I thought it was a fantastic idea so put the idea out to a few people in Colchester but they just didn’t get it. Two years later I saw Southend was running one so I went along.”

What Karen found was such a positive environment where positive outcomes were being seen, that inspired her to finally launch a Soup of her own.

In Colchester community members have voted to donate their cash to a day centre which wanted to buy a new pottery kiln for its clients and most recently, it split the cash between two winners.

There are now several Soups in the UK, including Liverpool, Newcastle and Southend.

Karen, who works as a practice manager at Colchester architects Inkpen Downie, went along to one of the workshops in London and hopes it will help raise awareness of Colchester Soup and how it could help microprojects in the town.

“What I have found since starting the Soups is how humbling it is.

“A homeless man who has been coming along didn’t have any money to put into the pot, but on his third visit gave £5 that he had saved. This is someone who has nothing, and he still gave. Now we just need more people to come along, not just to vote for an idea, but also to pitch their ideas.”

Karen pays for the venues and vegan ingredients for the soups out of her own pocket.

Her daughter cooks the soup and on the night everyone gets to sit down, make friends and support their community over a bowl of soup.

• For more information, call 07532 253540, follow @colchestersoup on Twitter or visit www.colchestersoup.co.uk.