A Kingston community project has won a national competition, being recognised as the best such initiative in the UK.

Joel Community Project provides food, friendship and shelter to homeless people, and is the only permanent night shelter in the area.

It provided 3,336 guest nights and 8,862 meals between March 2016 and February 2017.

For winning the competition, the initiative will be given £5,000 of cooking appliances from the brand Stoves.

The Community Kitchens fund, set up by Stoves, is aimed to help communities and projects transform their cooking facilities.

Jhoana Serna-Nalton, community fundraiser and grants officer at Joel Community Services, said: “The competition truly embraced community spirit, with our wonderful supporters rallying their friends and family to vote for our project.

“In 2016, we cooked more than 8,500 meals, and this year, with the growth in the number of guests and services, we expect a 30 per cent increase in meals prepared. We’ll put the amazing prize towards equipping our kitchen to match its five-star hygiene rating, with a new cooker and related accessories helping to make the preparation of meals fast and enjoyable.”