Those who are homeless in Nottingham often receive help from a variety of charities. One such charity is the SFiCE Foundation, which aims to reduce food poverty, isolation, and ill health. Taking a look at the ordinary people behind extraordinary work, for the first instalment in this series we spoke with Matthew Clude.
Speaking personally, I first encountered SFiCE as they run a free food stall near my residence in the city centre. After speaking to the volunteers on the stall, I saw the good work they do in the community and wanted to find out more.
This journey led me to their main hub of operations based at SFiCE House on Raleigh Street, near to the Arboretum. There, I spoke to manager Sarah, who put me in contact with Matthew for this series.
Global Beginnings
Mattew Clude, aged 27, currently works as a cook for the SFiCE Foundation. However in earlier years, he travelled extensively… including a road trip from New York to Rio de Janeiro. No planes, no boats, all over land.
What struck me was Matthew’s love for nature, which was a recurring theme throughout our discussion and it played (and continues to play) an important part in his life. It’s partially why he studied Human Sciences as a university degree. It also feeds into his nomadic lifestyle, with him residing on a narrowboat to allow for further travelling and mobility inside the UK.
Nottingham… for Now
With Matthew’s love of a lifestyle free from traditional brick-and-mortar moorings, it may be surprising that he’s currently in Nottingham working for SFiCE. However, despite callings for Nicaragua – being in Nottingham is the current medium-term plan.
Those who visit SFiCE are able to enjoy soup, a main meal, and pudding as part of their Social Cafe, which is held from 4pm to 6pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. When I arrived for the interview, I actually arrived at the same time as Matthew, who first needed to start the soup before we spoke.
What’s to love about your role?
As a cook at SFiCE, Matthew said he loves the variety of rustling up a new menu each day, dependent upon the donations that the organisation receives. But that’s not all, as both the beautiful grounds in which SFiCE House is based inside and the impact of improving the community are both sources of satisfaction.
Whilst SFiCE was founded in 2009, the organisation only moved into its current premises in late-2021. It is currently within a former church building, with ample grounds for gardening and growing.
Looking to the future
Matthew is someone who self-admittedly does not know the answer of ‘what’s in the future?’… but the outlook that he told me was highly positive. With opportunities to connect with nature and travelling.
The SFiCE Foundation helps those who are homeless or vulnerable completely free-of-charge. If you need to access their services, you can visit their website https://sfice.org/. To contact them – e-mail: info@sfice.org, phone: 07941378265, address: SFiCE House, 75a Raleigh Street, NG7 4DL.
What is this series?
FMB Radio is an organisation which amplifies authentic community voices. As a result, we want to make sure those that make a difference are fairly recognised for their contributions to society.
This series speaks to ordinary people who make extraordinary things happen. Think you know someone who works in the community that has an interesting story to tell? You can get in touch with us at info@fmbradio.com. For the contact details of this article’s author, please visit https://fmbradio.com/about-us/.
Ben Mellor
Featured image courtesy of Ben Mellor. Image has been edited.
Audio courtesy of Ben Mellor. No changes have been made to this image.
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