Archbishop Moth visits homeless lunch at Farm Street Church

Archbishop Richard Moth with Fr Dominic Robinson outside the centre

The Archbishop of Westminster, Most Rev Richard Moth, visited the homeless outreach lunch in Farm Street Church's Arrupe Hall last Wednesday.

Organised by Central London Catholic Churches (CLCC), more. than 60 guests attended. They were served a hot meal, including a chicken curry, veggie option, dessert, and tea and coffee. Meals at Farm Street are particularly good, because they are provided by some of Mayfair's top hotels and clubs.

Volunteers welcomed guests and assisted throughout the afternoon. The Archbishop also visited the Cana Café downstairs at the centre. The Cafe offers meals in Mayfair without Mayfair prices and also provides catering training for unemployed homeless people.

The CLCC was formed at the start of the first UK Covid lockdown in March 2020, bringing together volunteers from across central London parishes to respond to urgent need. Initially operating from Trafalgar Square, they now run regular services from Arrupe Hall, providing cooked lunches on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

While many homeless people were given emergency accommodation during the Covid lockdown, that has stopped now and the numbers of people sleeping rough or in very poor housing has increased dramatically over the past three years.

The Passage homeless charity behind Westminster Cathedral reported a 33 percent increase in the number of people experiencing street homelessness in 2024. Most recent data from late 2025 and early 2026 show that there were approximately 4,841 people recorded sleeping rough across the capitol during the quarter from October to December 2025. The number of people living on the streets in central London at the beginning of this year was around 830. Last year it was 759.

During his visit, Archbishop Moth chatted with many of the guests and learnt about their lives.

One guest told ICN: "This place has been a lifesaver for me. It's more tha just a meal. Now the weather is warmer things aren't so difficult but during the cold winter it was such a relief to come here into the warm, have a nice dinner and meet people."

Since his installation on 14th February 2026 at Westminster Cathedral, the Archbishop has visited several Catholic charitable organisations across London, including the Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) in Wapping last month, where he praised the work being done to support those who have been forced to flee their homes.

Parish priest Fr Dominic Robinson said: "It was a great pleasure and honour that our new archbishop decided to come and visit our restaurant for those who are most in need, right at the start of his ministry among us. We hope that our shared commitment to be a church of the poor and for the poor will bear much fruit in the years to come."

For more information about the CCLC and other outreach initiatives at Farm Street see: www.farmstreet.org.uk/outreach