Mother in Wales posts Gumtree ad offering free home cooked meals for families living on benefits

Boudicca Stretton-Brown said she was happy to cook extra while feeding her own family to ‘offer a little help to those who may need it’

File photo: After the UK was declared one of the worst countries in Europe for citizens being able to afford to buy food, a woman in Wales has offered to cook free meals for families in need

(Getty Creative)

A mother in Wales has posted an advert on Gumtree offering free home cooked meals every Monday to families living on benefits.

Boudicca Stretton-Brown, 27, wrote that she wanted “to offer a little help to those who may need it”, and said she was shocked to see people from all over the country sharing the ad on Twitter.

Cooking at her home in Splott, Cardiff, the mother of three told Wales Online: “Lots of people wrote to say that they saw my advert and felt inspired to donate to charity.

“I’ve had a few really nice emails from people saying want to help out with the cooking, including one from a chef! It has been really heart-warming. I’ve been feeling very fuzzy the past few days.”

The offer was promoted online by Gumtree itself, whose official Twitter feed said last week it was “a heart-warming ad for a Friday afternoon!”

Other users wrote than it “proves some people just get on with being nice”, and London-based Pere Villega (@pvillega) shared a link to the site saying: “Hopefully it will help people”.

Ms Stretton-Brown’s kind offer comes after Oxfam reported that the UK is among one of the worst-performing countries in Western Europe on whether citizens can afford to eat.

More than half a million people are using food banks, and the charity said Government austerity measures are increasingly forcing people to desperate lengths in order to feed their families.

The Gumtree advert, which has now been taken down from the site, read in full: “Free home cooked meal every Monday (or other arranged day) for family with children living on benefits or struggling to keep the fridge stocked due to unforeseen personal circumstances.

“I will be cooking for my own family and make extra, which can be picked up or I can drop off if local.

“If this seems like a good idea to you please let me know and we will arrange things.

“I'm a stay at home mum and lucky enough to be in a position to offer a little help to those who may need it.”

A spokesperson for Gumtree told The Independent: “We love to hear stories like this, and it warms our hearts to know that stars like Boudicca are using Gumtree to help people in their local area.

“We’re delighted that she received so many replies to her ad, and we presume that it was deleted to let her get on with the cooking!”