A new shower and laundry unit for rough sleepers has opened at a Trowbridge foodbank in memory of a "loved" homeless man who died earlier this year.

Trowbridge Storehouse Foodbank in Church Street has created the Hardwick Suite in memory of Stephen Hardwick, who lived in Trowbridge.

It was named after Mr Hardwick, 41, a regular visitor to the Storehouse Foodbank who died while crossing the M4 motorway in February.

The suite was opened during a Christmas lunch for 75 people and will give homeless people a place to wash their clothes and get a shower.

Wiltshire Times: Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper with Jill Neighbour, manager of the Storehouse Foodbank, at the newly-installed shower facilities for homeless people. Photo: Trevor Porter 70448-2Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper with Jill Neighbour, manager of the Storehouse Foodbank, at the newly-installed shower facilities for homeless people. Photo: Trevor Porter 70448-2 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Storehouse Foodbank manager Jill Neighbour said Mr Hardwick’s life "really meant something to our community".

She said: "It's been really emotional for us as a team. Mr Hardwick gave me the biggest lesson in humility that I've ever experienced.

“He only ever took the food he needed and said he didn't want to take food from others that needed it more."

She and Ian Seymour, manager of the Tesco Express store in Frome Road, came up with the idea for the suite six months ago.

They enlisted help from his store colleague, Caroline Giles, whose family runs Tube & Valve Supply Ltd and the Bathroom Shop Ltd in Westbury.

Wiltshire Times: Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper with the people that made the complex possible: Lawrie Giles, who supplied and fitted the shower and WC from the Bathroom Shop; Jill Neighbour, who coordinated the project at Storehouse; and Caroline Giles with Tesco manager Ian Seymour, who arranged the charity funding for the newly-installed showers facilities for homeless people. Photo: Trevor Porter 70448-3Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper with the people that made the complex possible: Lawrie Giles, who supplied and fitted the shower and WC from the Bathroom Shop; Jill Neighbour, who coordinated the project at Storehouse; and Caroline Giles with Tesco manager Ian Seymour, who arranged the charity funding for the newly-installed showers facilities for homeless people. Photo: Trevor Porter 70448-3 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Some people in the homeless community in Trowbridge may have to wear their socks and underwear for a month because they are unable to afford laundrette facilities.

Jill added: "People can now come in, have a nice clean shower and put on a brand new set of clothes. It is all about giving people dignity and respect."

Trowbridge mayor Stephen Cooper opened the new facilities, which he described as "vital", during a Storehouse Foodbank community Christmas lunch for up to 75 people.

He said: "The new facilities are absolutely fantastic. They are a lot posher than I expected them to be. 

"They are warm, comfortable and heated. I think they are planning to combine them with a clothes bank.

"All the credit has to go to Jill Neighbour. She really is an inspiration and the guiding force behind what they are doing at the Storehouse Foodbank. She deserves all the praise she gets."

The new facilities were funded with help from Tesco, which arranged the £8,000 funding to create the suite, and Mrs Giles’ family business installed the new shower facilities free of charge.

Mr Seymour said: “This is a fantastic facility for homeless people to use."