How a Citroën ë-Berlingo Van is helping Swansea charity deliver connection and kindness

Back in January Big Issue announced that a Citroën ë-Berlingo Van would be delivered to Matthew’s House charity which provides vital support, care and kindness at the heart of its community in Swansea. The loan of the van was a way to expand the positive impacts of Big Issue’s Driving Change For Good partnership with Citroën, and to support one of our hard-working 2025 Changemakers.

Now, after six months of using the van, we are delighted to discover just how powerful this electric vehicle has been in helping the charity to grow. “It’s made a huge difference to our operations, culture and reach,” enthuses Thom Lynch, project leader and co-founder of Matthew’s House.

The charity, founded in 2017, is run by two staff and over 100 volunteers. Matthew’s House depends on the goodwill and support of its community to deliver food, washing and laundry facilities, comfort, a welcoming, friendly space and – most crucially – hope and dignity to people whenever they need it.

With a table-service cafe redistributing food donations, a laundry, showers, trained volunteers who offer advice on issues from housing to health, a choir – and while playing an active part in the network of charities tackling hardship on the front line in Swansea – there is always a lot going on at Matthew’s House. And that brings a pressing demand to move around the city quickly, flexibly and frequently at short notice.

“We had no van before, so it’s opened up new possibilities we didn’t have – from emergency collections to better support for volunteers or guests,” explains Thom. “It’s become a moving expression of kindness.”

Until now, volunteers used their own cars, which meant less capacity to move supplies, and no way to transport furniture or bigger items. When Big Issue learned they had been struggling to access a van to scale up their work, our partners Citroën were delighted to offer support in the shape of a bright, bold, nippy electric ë-Berlingo Van. Volunteers now use it to run around Swansea collecting food, doing community outreach, or dropping off white goods or furniture for their guests when they are moving from homelessness into housing – helping to make a house a home and offering comfort and stability to people moving on in their lives.

“It’s been a total game-changer,” says Thom. “We’re using it at least six times a week, mostly for food collections – often wedged to the brim! But we also use it to deliver essentials to newly housed guests, support other charities through [food] redistribution, and get to community training and events.

“It’s practical, flexible and volunteers absolutely love driving it and using it. We’ve also used it to drop off and set up our 10 new donation stations across the city!”

The results of this ability to respond quickly and at scale to offers of donations are tangible. “Recently we did a supermarket donation collection that filled over 15 trays of food – something that would have needed multiple cars before,” he explains. Another standout example springs to mind: Matthew’s House received a call from a charity about perishable food which it couldn’t store. “Without the van we would have had to turn it down. But with it we picked it all up the same afternoon, shared some and stored the rest. Without the Citroën ë-Berlingo van that food would have been wasted. This season food donations are generally lower, so to have this option is incredibly helpful,” he adds.

Citroën’s electric ë-Berlingo Vans – which are also used daily by Big Issue’s frontline teams across the UK to support our vendors with magazine deliveries – are famously roomy, easy to use, comfortable to drive and fun to work from. As is often the case with newcomers to electric vehicles (EVs), many of the features were new to the team at Matthew’s House. But they have found it easy to adjust to using an EV. Thom explains: “Volunteers took a bit of time to get used to the tech and range, but now they love it – it’s smooth, quiet and easy to handle. Some have the Bluetooth set up, so when they pop in they have the tracks and settings they love!”

He says the EV’s sustainability is a big bonus, and it’s cheaper to run than petrol or diesel. Volunteers say it’s comfortable and easy to use. The charity is now planning to install its own charger on-site at Matthew’s House, so that the van can be powered up and ready for the challenges of each new day.

The van is also helping with additional community awareness. Thom notes: “We’ve had six school visits in just three months, ranging from primary assemblies to older youth support groups. The van has added credibility, visibility and excitement – it raises our profile wherever it goes.”

And the unmissable Matthew’s House x Big Issue x Citroën branding on the van’s exterior is valuable for raising the profile of a charity that depends on its community for funds, donations and more.

“We don’t have a budget for advertising or publicity, so this is a winner. The more visible we are, the more kind and good people know that a cool place is doing awesome things to support others,” says Thom.

This year they had their biggest ever half-marathon team – another indication of how actively promoting Matthew’s House with the van about town can help add up to driving support from the good people of Swansea.

“Seeing the van around keeps us in people’s consciousness, and they remember our work when they are feeling generous or supportive!”

So this zippy Citroën ë-Berlingo Van is much more than simply a work vehicle – it’s empowering the charity to do so much more than before. At the heart of Matthew’s House is the message that “hope can change lives” – and that’s why Thom describes their electric van as a moving expression of hope.

Find out more about the Citroen ë-Berlingo Van at citroen.co.uk/models/new-e-berlingo.html

matthewshouse.org.uk