A community programme that provides the homeless with a cooked breakfast and clean clothes every week is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

The Loads of Love initiative has helped scores of people since it launched at Christ Church in Warwick in 2011.

At the weekend, those behind the successful scheme, volunteers who make it work and the people who benefit most from it gathered at Christ Church to mark five years of goodwill.

“The church and the congregation have been fantastic over the years,” said Pat Lang, who helps to run the programme and organise a team of volunteers.

“What we do has not really changed since we first began; we are still providing the same services like showers, laundry and breakfast. But the number of people we have coming on a Saturday morning has increased a great deal.

“We serve about 35 breakfasts every Saturday morning and do up to 16 loads of laundry.”

The project was the brainchild of Reverend Barry Dunsmore, who ran a similar kind of “Laundry and Shower” programme when he worked in the Kings Road area of London.

But Mr Dunsmore left the running and organisation of the initiative down to his congregation, so they could own the project and move it forward.

Ms Lang and a host of volunteers run the Loads of Love programme and pass on food and clothing donations that have been made to the church.

Volunteer Ashley DeSa, 19, started giving up her Saturday mornings for the initiative in September 2013 after hearing about the programme on a Bermuda Overseas Missionary trip.

“I was aware that people needed help but I never really saw it,” she said.

“Just knowing that I have helped someone and knowing you can make their lives a little bit easier makes it all worth it.”

Joan Evans, who started volunteering at the beginning of this year, added: “This programme is not just about feeding people, it’s about talking to people and getting to know them.

“We have people that come all the way from St George’s each week. When you hear their stories my heart really goes out to them.

“We have to show them some love and that conversation can make a big difference.”