Growing demand for Southport Soup Kitchen services inspires 200 mile Coast to Coast Bike Ride to raise vital funds

A determined Southport man is getting ready to cycle across England over four days to raise funds to support the growing demand for support at Southport Soup Kitchen.

Andrew Carney, the Former Chair of both:- Southport Rugby Club and Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club, is keen to raise as much money as he can to support the vital community facility operated by Marie Buchanan and her team from their base on:- London Street, in Southport Town Centre.

On Tuesday, 17 June 2025, he set off on an ambitious 200 mile Coast to Coast Bike Ride from Carlisle to Berwick on Tweed.

Andrew is trying to do all he can to support Southport Soup Kitchen, which has seen an overwhelming demand for its service since the Covid pandemic.

The facility urgently needs to raise funds to expand the number of ovens on site as well as increase the number of hobs from 4 to 8, while also providing more cupboard space.

Southport Soup Kitchen was founded in 2002 to provide hot meals and help for those in need in the local area.

In hard times, their message to people is:- "don't suffer in silence, we are here to help and support you when you need us."

Run entirely by Marie Buchanan and her team of dedicated volunteers, Southport Soup Kitchen provides hot meals and drinks as well as food parcels and resources including:- toiletries and other daily essentials.

With no official government funding it relies on donations from individuals and businesses to continue its work.

Southport Soup Kitchen is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from:- 1pm to 2pm for its free takeaway hot meal service. On Sundays it also offers a bag of basic provisions to those who require one.

Andrew Carney said:- "I am excited to share that I will be participating in the 2025 Coast to Coast Bike Ride, cycling from Carlisle Railway Station to Berwick on Tweed over four days, from Tuesday, 17 June 2025 to Friday 20 June 2025. This journey will cover over 200 miles of breathtaking scenery and challenging terrain, all in support of the Southport Soup Kitchen. Every pedal stroke is fueled by a deep commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of individuals who face daily food challenges. The Southport Soup Kitchen plays a crucial role in our community, providing warm meals, essential toiletries, and compassionate support to nearly 200 people each week who are experiencing severe hardships. Your generous donations will empower this vital charity to continue its important work and reach even more individuals in need. No contribution is too small; every donation counts towards ensuring that no one in our local community goes hungry. Together, we can make a significant difference! I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Marie Buchanan and the dedicated volunteers at the Southport Soup Kitchen and to Andrew Brown at Stand Up for Southport for their brilliant inspiration and support. It's time for action — let's come together and surpass our target of £1,000!”

You can support Andrew's fundraiser for Southport Soup Kitchen on the JustGiving website.

The Hidden Crisis: Universal Credit’s Impact on Small Businesses and the Self Employed in Merseyside

THIS week we are interested in your views. We have already got a few local business owners giving us information on this topic, but we need more help to highlight what we see as a crisis for small businesses all over the UK.

The UK faces increasing external economic pressure, with countries such as the United States leveraging business acquisitions and investment influence to shape domestic outcomes. While international cooperation and investment are important, disproportionate reliance on foreign capital may dilute the autonomy of British industries and undermine long term sustainability. But what has this got to do with small businesses in the UK and Universal Credit?

Universal Credit (UC) was introduced with the intention of simplifying the welfare system and providing a safety net for individuals facing financial hardship. It replaced a range of legacy benefits, including:- Tax Credits (Working and Child Tax Credits), Housing Benefit, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).

On paper, it seems straightforward: a claimant must agree to a:- "Claimant Commitment" that sets out obligations to either prepare for work, seek employment, or increase earnings if already employed. However, the reality for many, particularly small business owners and the self-employed, is far from clear cut. The system’s structural flaws are pushing businesses who have fluctuating income levels, due to the nature of the work, to the brink, with potentially disastrous consequences.

The Minimum Income Floor is the main barrier for Small Businesses owners and the self-employed. We would like to remind people that many of them do not get sick pay, holiday pay, or even a protected pension.

A major stumbling block for self-employed claimants is the Minimum Income Floor (MIF). This clause assumes a set level of income for self employed individuals, regardless of their actual earnings. For those with seasonal or fluctuating incomes common in industries like farming, media, or the arts, this can lead to severe financial instability.

Many small business owners are finding themselves with zero or reduced Universal Credit payments during lean periods, despite still facing ongoing costs. The MIF doesn't take into account the reality of variable income or the substantial expenses involved in running a small business, including:- equipment costs or seasonal downturns. This makes it extremely difficult for small businesses to survive during months of low income.

The quickets way to highlight this is with the what is becoming a farming crisis. 1 of the sectors hardest hit by UC's punitive measures is farming. Farmers have long dealt with income volatility, shaped by:- seasonal factors, crop yields, and fluctuating market prices. The National Farmers Union has voiced its concern that UC is pushing many farmers into poverty, as the MIF doesn't reflect the significant upfront costs many farmers face, such as:- purchasing equipment or seeds.

The unpredictable nature of agricultural work makes it difficult to meet the MIF's earnings expectations, which often doesn't align with the reality of cash flow in farming businesses. In this context, Universal Credit becomes a vicious cycle, leaving farmers unable to recover financially and forcing some to consider abandoning their livelihoods.

Within the Media and Arts which are essential, but undervalued. The media and arts industries are also feeling the strain of the MIF. Like farming, these sectors often experience significant fluctuations in income. Small media outlets such as local newspapers, play a crucial role in combating fake news, informing the public, and driving investment into local areas. Despite their value, the owners of these small independent local news outlets often struggle under the same rigid financial assumptions imposed by the MIF. When income varies month to month, especially when new equipment or resources are needed, small businesses within the media and arts industries are hit hard. Universal Credit's 1 size fits all approach is failing to understand the complexities and realities of industries that are vital to society, yet often underappreciated. Also, models and actors are in the same situation, with many forced to leave the industry as they are forced to take up jobs stacking shelves. This results in a massive shortage of talent within the entertainment industry that is leading to the requirement for work to go overseas or to go unfulfilled.

We are increasingly hearing that the Jobcentre Plus staff are falling short for helping the self-employed, often due to the rules they have to work with. These rules are to complex and misleading, resulting in claiments having errors and falling foul of the income floor rules. But even beyond the financial structure of Universal Credit, many self employed individuals are encountering difficulties with Jobcentre Plus services. Jobcentre staff, often untrained in the specific needs of the self-employed, are reported to be rude and unhelpful, especially when dealing with the nuances of fluctuating income.

We've heard multiple reports of self employed individuals being told by Jobcentre staff that they could only receive assistance if they closed their business down, essentially being encouraged to decalre bankruptcy, due to errors in the system caused by misleading information or lack of support.

We’ve been given and also have access to letters from Jobcentres informing claimants that they cannot get help unless they shut down their business, leaving claiments in a hopeless position. These instances have become increasingly common, and it’s clear that the system is failing those it was meant to support.

This is not a few isolated incidents, but we have heard this time after time. In some cases the jobcenter staff say have told business owners to:- "sack all the staff" adding:- "that will mean you will make the money up," whilst not understanding or interested why businesses requires staff and how hard it is to get trained loyal staff. Plus, they do not address the elephant in the room, the fact that if they close a business down that employees other people or the business fires staff to make up for the financial shortfall, how does that business pay the redundancy? Also, the fact they make people unemployed, leading to a bigger cost in the long term for the UK economy and then when things get better, they cant react to the changes, as they will have to rehire staff.

For new businesses the Universal Credit system is also pushing start-ups under before they even get a chance to get moving. The 1 year to make profit rule is stopping new innovation and development. Innovation is something we require even more than ever if the UK is to stay ahead and competitive with the likes of China and the United States, or even Europe! Since the 2nd world war ended, innovation has been blocked by accountants and political infighting and the UK is now slipping behind. Just look at where our electric cars, computers and phones are now being made!

Despite these mounting issues with UC and the growing alarm bells for the UK's future economic stability, we are seeing a distinct lack of political accountability and UC is just the tip of the iceberg! We need to start somewhere and UC is a new system that can easily be fixed, but Parliament will not address the issues around UC, so what hope do we have for the future of UK business?

We have reached out to several Members of Parliament in the Liverpool City Region for comment about the issues faced by small business owners and self employed on UC. Unfortunately, we've received no response so far, further illustrating a lack of understanding or concern from those in power about the severe struggles faced by small businesses and the self employed.

The flaws within Universal Credit particularly the Minimum Income Floor is now pushing many self employed individuals and small businesses to the brink of financial ruin. The system is failing to accommodate the realities of fluctuating incomes and the unique challenges faced by sectors like:- farming, media, and the arts.

What's clear is that the UK Government must take a step back and rethink the way it supports self employed individuals. Small businesses are the backbone of local economies, and if they're push under, we will not have anything to fall back on within our economy, as big businesses can move out of an area at a drop of a hat. This week, we're calling on small business owners and the self employed across the UK to share their experiences. We've already heard from a handful of local entrepreneurs, but to truly spotlight what many are calling a crisis, we need to hear more. What are your thoughts on this news topic? Email our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter. Please do let us know as we love to hear your views....

If you're struggling to access support; especially in relation to Universal Credit; and feel your business has been overlooked, we want to hear from you. Your information will remain confidential, and we won’t publish any details without your explicit consent. Identities can also be protected upon request.

Our goal is to build a clear and credible picture of the challenges facing independent businesses, so we can press for political response and support the efforts of advocacy groups like Excluded UK in driving meaningful change under, the long term effects will be far reaching.

The system must change to better reflect the needs of self employed individuals from fairer treatment by Jobcentre Plus staff to a reworked Minimum Income Floor that acknowledges the unpredictable nature of self employment. Until then, many small businesses will continue to struggle, with potentially devastating consequences for both owners and their employees.

If we want to protect local economies and ensure that hard working individuals aren't forced out of business, it's time for urgent reform of Universal Credit.

Not only that but to preserve the United Kingdom's economic resilience and national independence, it is imperative to address the growing influence exerted by foreign powers, particularly through economic leverage and business acquisitions. In response, the Government must take decisive steps to bolster small, independent UK-based businesses across all sectors. A foundational reform to enable this shift lies in revising the Universal Credit income floor, which currently poses a barrier to self employed and startup entrepreneurs.

This week, we're calling on small business owners and the self employed across the UK to share their UC experiences. We've already heard from a handful of local entrepreneurs and others from all over the UK, but to truly spotlight what many are calling a crisis, we need to hear more.

If you're struggling to access support especially in relation to Universal Credit, and feel your business has been overlooked, we want to hear from you. Your information will remain confidential, and we won't publish any details without your explicit consent. Identities can also be protected upon request.

Our goal is to build a clear and credible picture of the challenges facing independent businesses, so we can press for political response and support the efforts of advocacy groups like Excluded UK in driving meaningful change.