Jamaican chef banned from feeding homeless

LONDON:

A petition to support a community activist from Jamaica, who has been banned from feeding the homeless for seven years, has gone viral.

Ringo Vision has been feeding the destitute in Croydon, south London, from a mobile soup kitchen, patterned on the handcarts used in rural Jamaica.

As a result of Vision’s feeding rounds, which started in January 2024, 13,000 nutritious meals have been cooked from recipes learnt from his grandparents while being raised in Jamaica.

His actions ended in January 2025 after his homeless followers allegedly caused a disturbance with stallholders at the Surrey Street Market. The Metropolitan Police subsequently issued the chef with a community protection notice warning (CPNW), curbing his activity across Croydon.

Describing his disappointment on YouTube, Vision said: “I have been banned, and it’s disgusting. The Metropolitan Police has provided restrictions on where I can be.

“They are saying I am disrupting the community, preventing vendors in the market from enjoying a healthy lifestyle, at a time when they are trying to cut the crime rate in Croydon.”

Nearly 3,000 London residents have signed a petition named Reinstate the Right of ‘Cooking with Ringo’ to Feed the Homeless, refuting the Metropolitan Police’s claims.

It’s hoped the petition will move management at Surrey Street Market and Croydon Council to support the tide of public opinion, demanding a reversal of the community protection order.

Beverley Carroll, who signed the petition wrote on change.or g, said“I believe Ringo does a fantastic job feeding the vulnerable people on the streets of Croydon. To ban him for seven years is absolutely ridiculous.”

Carroll added: “What will happen to these people now? All the good he does for people, and this is how he is thanked. It should never have come to this. Lift the ban now.”

Another supporter of Vision, Paula Vaughan-Evans, also stressed the value of the Jamaican’s community work. She wrote: “This is such a valuable service, it gives these people recognition, makes them an individual and not a statistic.

“It also gives them hope and something to look forward to. These people are humans, not just homeless. Any of us could be in this situation, at any point in life.”

Vaughan-Evans added: “Ringo saves lives not just with food, but by maintaining the mental health of the homeless, and it’s just inhumane to ban this amazing God-sent service.”

The Metropolitan Police stated the purpose behind issuing the CPNW: “There had been multiple complaints of intimidating behaviour, which was distressing for those affected. The CPNW acts as a warning only, and not as a ban on behaviour which is not considered to be intimidating.”

CPNWs are intended to prevent individuals aged 16 or over, businesses, or organisations from engaging in antisocial behaviour that negatively impacts the community’s quality of life. This can include noise disturbances and unsightly rubbish on private property.

Surrey Street Market stallholder Jose Joseph, commenting on the ban, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “He (Ringo Vision) brought friends, and they were the ones creating the problems a lot of the time. I told him he needed to control that because people respect him and watch him.”

Despite the recent issues, Joseph emphasised: “He (Ringo Vision) is still like family to us. He is doing some great things for the community, but some of the people he brought along attracted fights. It wasn’t the homeless people.

“I am not happy [that] they warned him. Even my children have signed his petition, because we don’t want him to stop what he is doing.”

Jamaica-born Ringo has been cooking for over 20 years, but it wasn’t until last year that he felt inspired to take action. He recalls: “I woke up one Sunday morning with a new mission. I knew I needed to feed the homeless.”

Vision’s meals have been cooked on a camping stove and from fresh produce obtained at Surrey Street Market and include hearty stews and jerk chicken with rice and peas.

The Jamaican self-funds the project, although locals make donations via GoFundMe. He also has a You Tube channel titled ‘24 hour Kitchen’, showcasing his work, which has 17.5k subscribers.

The community worker has served food to the homeless across the UK, but feels Croydon’s problem is particularly concerning. “Croydon is different,” he told the LDRS. “I think it is because of how many people from come across the world land here. Some of the conditions they are sleeping in are bad, really bad.”

He added: “Until people go into Croydon and see what is happening, they won’t know how serious the situation is.”

Ringo insisted: “I’ll be back out”, and vowed to continue serving food to the Croydon community that has come to rely on him.