Icolyn Smith

roots stretch right back to her childhood in Jamaica. He says: “She would cook for her teachers and families in the village.”

After Icolyn moved to the UK in 1965, she continued to help others. Gary recalls: “I’d come home and there’d be someone in the kitchen that needed feeding.”

Oxford Community Soup Kitchen, which she set up in 1989, opens twice a week all year round and provides three-course meals and essentials for the vulnerable.

Icolyn’s selfless efforts have helped to save lives. Gary says: “We’ve had people who were ready to commit suicide come here and it’s changed their lives.” Icolyn adds: “It’s our job to keep them alive and make sure they have somewhere to go.”