Reverend Peter Sutton and his group of volunteers spend their Sunday afternoons cooking around 100 hot meals in the church located just off Princes Street.

Under normal circumstances the meals would be served at tables inside the church,  however the introduction of social distancing measures has meant the group had to find a new way to provide meals to those who need it.

Rev Sutton said: “We still cook the food in the kitchen, but have been handing out the meals in the courtyard at the bottom of Edinburgh Castle. We can make sure people are still fed, and we can still hand out clothing to people, we hang it up on the banisters outside. We’re doing around 100 three course meals.”

The church and its volunteers are classified as key workers due to the reliance the homeless community have on the meals.

Before the lockdown measures were implemented, the church used to run a shelter but they were forced to close once the social distancing measures were brought in, STV News reports. 

Rev Sutton added: “We have around 30 people who would consider us to be key providers of help to them. And then that 30 have all their contacts so we end up with usually an additional 70. A lot of people say it’s so good we’re helping them, but really they’re helping us keep doing things.

“There’s nothing worse than being a church and having your doors closed. When everyone is going through a really tough time at the moment, it’s really challenging not to be able to open the doors and help – because that’s what the church normally does.

“I see our good homeless friends giving us a way to keep doing what we’re all about.”

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