A soup kitchen has been set up in Shipley serving hot meals to people who might otherwise go hungry.

The InTouch Foundation has set-up a weekly kitchen dishing out hot meals in Market Square and its CEO, Osman Gondal, said the service had been welcomed by those using it.

“They were surprised that this had been set up and very grateful,” he said. “We had comments like, ‘We wouldn’t haven’t eaten tonight.’ “Smaller areas like Shipley are forgotten. People concentrate on Bradford, Leeds and Manchester.”

The InTouch Foundation was set up in December 2012, serving hot three-course meals in Bradford city centre. It is run by more than 100 volunteers, including Adam Raja, co-ordinator for the Shipley soup kitchen, and sponsored by local businesses.

“I’m Bradford born-and-bred. When you’re in the city centre you do realise there’s an issue. It got me thinking about how you can address that issue and help. There are other agencies, but there is a gap we have to fill. It just came from a concern for the community,” Mr Gondal said.

“We’ve all sorts of people from different backgrounds – central and Eastern Europe, England, the Pakistani community. We do have whole families coming as well. It’s not just about one particular group of people, it’s whoever needs the service.

“We started in Bradford and we serve 150 meals just in Bradford now. Then we went to Keighley and the natural progression was to fill the gap in between.”

The Shipley soup kitchen held its third session on Wednesday.

Mr Gondal said: “We did, in the first week, about 25 meals and 30 meals in the second, so there’s a gradual increase which is what we’re expecting. A similar thing happened in Keighley where we’re averaging about 50 meals now.”

The Foundation, which is working towards becoming a registered charity, hopes to further expand across the country. The Shipley soup kitchen runs Wednesdays, from 7pm to 8pm at Market Square, and anyone who needs food is welcome.