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A struggling mum has thanked a breakfast club after it "saved" her and her three-year-old son.

Roksana Sarchenko says the club in Cardiff "means everything" after her and her young son Alexander arrived in the UK with nothing but a suitcase.

The pair were living in a hostel and, with no income, rel totally on charity until they met Angela Bullard.

Angela is a founder of Splott Breakfast Club and, along with her husband Fred, the pair, who are both in their 70s, feed hundreds of vulnerable people across the city of Cardiff every week, reports Wales Online .

As well as feeding those who need it, the couple hope Splott is a place where people can find someone to talk to.

"It’s community support - that’s what we really want to do," said 71-year-old Angela.

"What we're finding today is that poverty isn't what you think it looks like. More and more people that are in work are still in poverty."

With zero-hour contracts, austerity cuts and Universal Credit payments, more and more people are using foodbanks and nearly a third of Cardiff are living in poverty.

(Image: Wales Online)

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 7am to 10am, Fred, Angela and their team of volunteers provide the people of Splott and Adamsdown with a hot meal, a bag of takeaway food and someone to chat to.

The club does buy and cook its own food but it also receives donations from the likes of Tesco, Greggs and the Co-op through charity Fareshare.

Angela said: "We really wouldn’t manage without their support. We could do the breakfast, but we couldn’t provide people with a bag of food to take away and cook. Without them we’d only be providing one hot meal a week."

They ask for a £2 per adult and £1 per child donation to cover expenses and buy food for breakfast but say they will always help anyone who comes to them in need.

"We don't ask what people's situations are, we just try and help. Everybody falls upon hard times in their life," Angela continued.

(Image: Wales Online)

"The donation gives our users a sense of ownership of the Breakfast Club and prevents feelings of being in need of charity.

"We just really want to instill back the sense of community and looking after people that we grew up with."

When the club was first set up they would get lots of homeless people, but now that specialist shelters have been set up they're seeing more and more families coming to make "sure their children get a good breakfast before school".

"It's also somewhere where they can come and have a chat. We get an awful lot of people come her who are lonely - especially the older men," Angela said.

"They might come and have a breakfast and not necessarily say much but they just like the company."

Splott has helped so many people already.

Roksana had lived in Cardiff for 25 years but after spending time in Burma she and Alexander found herself with nothing and nobody when they got back to the UK. Her husband did not meet immigration eligibility criteria to live in the country.

"For the first few months when you move back the government does not help you really, you have to wait three months before you can get payment," she said.

(Image: Wales Online)

"I was here alone without my husband and with a toddler - I had nothing but a suitcase.

"If it wasn’t for them we’d literally have nothing. The people, they're our family - they literally fed and dressed us when we needed it the most.

"For us it means everything, it saved us.

“It gets us out of the hostel where we’re living which is not really a good place for the little one. We meet so many people that we never really feel alone."

Friends and former volunteers, Ian Atkins and Darren Bancroft have also spoken about how much the club has helped the community.

"Everyone falls upon hard times in their life, I think it’s brilliant - it’s just less fortunate people isn't it. It's nothing to even think about coming here," said Darren.

"A lot of people just come here and this is their outlet, even if it’s just for a few hours.

(Image: Wales Online)

“You’re out and about meeting new people and making new friends - and best of all having a conversation with people. Social media has taken that away.

"What they do here is amazing. For people their age to go out there like this and do all they do, it’s unbelievable."

"It's unbelievable. You should see all of the things they do for the children. The grotto before Christmas was amazing," Ian added.

The club has also helped Rodah, who takes her son there for breakfast every Thursday before school.

“I come here because of my child," she explained.

"I’m not a great cook and if we come here it means he has a good breakfast before school, and I get a big bag of food to take away too - things like potatoes and vegetables.

“Honestly, it’s such a big help. We’ve been coming for nearly a year and the food goes such a long way for us," she said.

“We’d never be able to buy some of the stuff we get given here - it’s a huge help.

“It is like a family - some of those ladies over there have children in the same school as my son so we always chat - as well as everyone here really."