‘I was living in my car... I can’t thank the man enough for what he’s done’
‘We’re a lifeline to a lot of people,’ says Tariq Khan, the man behind Feed Newport, which has become even more important since the coronavirus lockdown, as Sian Burkitt discovered
March, resulting in her having to be ventilated.
She said her sister’s experience had raised her own fears about emerging from lockdown.
“I know of 14 people who have had the virus, and my sister is the only one who ended up in hospital.
“Because of seeing what she went through, someone with no medical conditions, who is fit and healthy...
“She’s two years younger than me. I don’t know how I’d manage if I caught it.
“I know there will be a time when I have to go out, but it is scary to think about going back to work and getting back to normality.
“Living in a holiday town, you see all the holidaymakers and the photos and you don’t really want to go out.
“People don’t seem to be social distancing, they don’t really seem to care.
“I am grateful to Welsh Government for letting me stay at home and keep me protected, but I worry about what comes next.”
‘I feel very anxious at the thought of things changing now’ – Samantha Bayley, Llandrindod Wells.
Samantha has been shielding with her three children.
“As a single mum with three kids it’s been a bit of a nightmare,” she admitted.
“I feel I’ve developed anxiety the longer I’ve been indoors, and I feel very anxious at the thought of things changing now.
“It’s been very difficult, especially at the start, with things like having to rely on food deliveries and not getting things you needed.
“I’m used to being quite independent and being out and about, going to things like appointments and just being out.”
“I don’t have a whole lot of family around and have had to get help from things like local help groups who have been able to get us things that we couldn’t get, like milk for example.
“So they’ve been great.
“The kids wanted to go back to school but haven’t been able to.
“They’re missing their friends. When the changes come in I think I will try and return to normal life gradually rather than waiting until they go back in September.
“It’d be too much to handle otherwise.”
‘I will be glad just to get back to a normal routine’ – Josh Moore, 24, Merthyr Tydfil
Josh has been shielding since March.
He volunteers with a local group and said the change was difficult.
“I have been shielding now since March 4 due to having health conditions and it has been a rollercoaster of a ride because it’s something I wasn’t used to.
“I’m an active person who is always out and about. I do volunteering with a local group called the Gurnos Men’s Project and I’m always out and about with family members, so I’m always used to being active.
“After August 16 I will be glad just to get back to a normal routine and spend quality time with family and friends. Being away from friends and family hasn’t been much of a problem because of FaceTime and social media. Those have been a big help.
“I don’t feel afraid of being out in public again and I plan to get back to my normal life routine of shopping, seeing people again, etc.”
AT THE heart of Pillgwenlly, Tariq Khan smiles and greets passersby by name outside of Feed Newport’s hub.
A hand-written sign outside the building reads: ‘We offer support to people who are homeless, refugees, older people, people fleeing domestic violence, and those at risk through living in poverty.’
Over the past few months, with Newport bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic early on, the work that Feed Newport does, under director Tariq, has become more vital than ever.
“I was living in my car in April. I’d be in car-parks, at the sides of roads, in the bottom end of Pill here, wherever it was quiet and could get my head down,” said Kevin Williams, who regularly uses the services at Feed Newport. “I was away from people taking drugs and everything else, trying to keep myself away from them.”
Kevin found himself living in his car after splitting with his partner.
Homeless at the height of lockdown, Kevin was struggling with basic day-to-day things – the most crucial of which was the problem of where to safely store the medication needed to manage his type-1 diabetes – a condition to which he lost his leg several years ago.
“He [Tariq] says, ‘come to the shop and I’ll sort you out with a food parcel and everything else,’” said Kevin.
“He’s helped me out with housing, sorting a property out for me. He’s helped me with sorting out a hotel when he found out I was sleeping in my car. He’s sorted me out with furniture and everything else to put in my temporary flat where I am at the moment.”
Although finally housed in temporary accommodation, Kevin found himself in another terible situation a few weeks ago, suffering a heart attack and being rushed into hospital.
Now, he’s more thankful than ever for the support and sense of community at the foodbank.
“I’m lucky to be here to be honest,” he said. “And I just can’t thank the man enough for what he’s done for me and hopefully what he’s doing for a lot of other people.”
During the pandemic, Pill has been one of the hardest hit areas, not only in Newport but in the whole of Wales.
Between March and May, Pill saw 21 deaths involving Covid-19. In the Stow Hill area, which covers the city centre, that figure stands at six.
The local population is nearly 45% BAME, a group statistically more likely to suffer Covid fatalities. This compares with 13% for Newport as a whole, and just 6.8% for Wales.
A large proportion of the people
Feed Newport helps come from a minority ethnic background, many of whom, explained Tariq, might not be forthcoming in asking for assistance.
While we talk, Tariq helps a man who needs a food parcel for the week – a refugee from Palestine. Unfortunately, he explained, the man has not been granted leave to remain by the UK Government, and must return as soon as flights between the two countries resume.
Another group of people the hub helps is those fleeing domestic violence. A woman and her three children, newcomers to Pill, are welcomed into the hub by workers Gem, Aftab and Theresa. Paying £3, the woman is given a supply of food – helping to support her and her family.
“I’m new to the area and I didn’t know what was going on,” said the mum, who wished to remain anonymous. She explained that her support worker pointed her in the direction of Feed Newport, which has delivered food to her house when she has needed it.
“I’ve got a baby who was premature, so I can’t always come in because of Covid,” she said. “My baby is lactose-intolerant as well, and they provide for him. And they’ve given him nappies.
“I was worried fleeing domestic abuse. I was scared to go to the shops and everything. But they [Feed Newport] have just assured me that I can come here. I’d be lost without them to be honest with you.”
During lockdown, Tariq and Feed Newport have provided a much needed lifeline to the community.
“Lockdown has been a nightmare because my husband has lost his job,” said Christina Smith, from Ringland, who has recently started coming to Feed Newport. “We had to claim Universal Credit for a few weeks to cover our rent and everything,” she said. “The food parcels have really helped.”
The particular parcels Christina has been collecting are half-term food parcels, which aim to help parents struggling financially during lockdown to provide for their children.
“This is all new to me. My husband has always worked full-time and I work part-time. He worked in supplying aeroplane parts, and they all lost their jobs there. He was laid off right at the beginning of lockdown,” she said. “I’m furloughed myself and don’t get a huge wage as it is, so trying to cover our rent, council tax and all of that, with food shopping for five people… it’s been really hard.”
Feed Newport, a not-for-profit community interest company, has three core areas for helping those in food poverty – the first is the foodbank, which people are referred to by social care workers; the second is the food parcels, which people can drop in and buy for £3; and, lastly, there is the array of surplus food on packed shelves outside of the hub, which has been donated by a local supermarket.
Only beginning its current set-up in February, Feed Newport was dropped into the deep end within a matter of weeks when the pandemic struck.
Setting up as a Covid-19 response hub, the team of volunteers and Tariq, who works for the NHS, worked non-stop during lockdown delivering food parcels to those who were vulnerable and shielding.
“I was in isolation for over 12 weeks being over 70, and I was grateful for help with shopping because I couldn’t go out and do it,” said May Laida, who lives in Pill and had food delivered to her doorstep while she was unable to leave the house.
“If we go back into another lockdown, I’d be grateful for the help again.”
Feed Newport goes beyond providing food – they also offer counselling, advice and, most importantly, a sense of community.
“Before the coronavirus we were getting mentoring, and help with anything you need, like with the Job Centre,” said Mikela Wathen who, along with her partner Stan, is a well-known face at the hub.
She explained how the pair used to rely heavily on the hub when they were homeless for a period of 11 months.
“It was just somewhere to go… I used to live in Brynmawr, but I got evicted from my flat.”
Tariq summed up his communityled approach.
“We’re breaking barriers,” he said. “My pet hate is ‘take care of your own.’.. we do local things, helping the community.”
■ Find out more at https://www. feednewport.com