Cafes are doing their bit to help the homeless this winter by offering a cup of kindness.

A handful of eating establishments in Medway have signed up to the Suspended Coffee scheme, which allows customers to buy an extra drink in advance for someone in need.

People pay for the coffee when buying their own, and all a homeless person needs to do is go into the cafe and ask if there is a suspended coffee available.

The tradition began in the working class cafes of Italy and led the way for the Suspended Coffees movement, which has expanded rapidly in the UK in the last few months.

There are only 11 cafes signed up in Kent, with five of them in Medway; the three Cafe Nucleus sites in Chatham High Street, Military Road, Chatham and Rochester High Street, The Avenue in Chatham and Cool Beans Coffee in Brompton.

Aaron Telford, who runs Cafe Nucleus, said: “We signed up about four weeks ago after customers suggested it. It is only a small thing but to know at least you are giving someone a warm drink.

“Before we officially joined the Suspended Coffee scheme we had customers come in to buy something for the homeless and take it away.

"You can give someone five minutes of happiness by doing something as simple as giving them a coffee" - Hayley Taksin

“What I have noticed is there are so many more homeless in Chatham High Street now. Previously you would only see one or two but now you see people every two or three metres.”

Hayley Taksin, owner of The Avenue in Shirley Avenue, said: “We started the Suspended Coffee scheme about four years ago and were the first to sign up in Medway. When we joined, the nearest others cafe doing it were in London and Canterbury.

“I read about it and thought it was good concept to bring here. I’m the sort of person that will help someone in need and you can give someone five minutes of happiness by doing something as simple as giving them a coffee.

“Because we are off the beaten track we don’t get that many homeless people passing by. We do advertise about the Suspended Coffee scheme on the door and in our window, and on our Facebook page. The more people know about it, the better.”