The boss of a successful charity which helps homeless and vulnerable people is taking a step back after eight years at the helm.

Neil Charlick, chief executive of Gillingham Street Angels (GSA), who himself was once a rough sleeper, says he is “going back to his roots”.

He said: “As we’ve got bigger, I’m spending more and more time behind a desk doing paperwork and accounts, which I don’t enjoy.

“I’m going back to square one. I’m going out on the street talking to people who need help and food.

“Over the years we have grown and grown - we are feeding 25,000 people a month.”

Neil will be manning the charity shop in Rainham High Street which from Monday will be an online click-and-collect business.

He explained: “It wasn’t making any money and we can’t afford to carry passengers.

“I have to answer to my trustees.”

Customers will still be able to drop-off items at the shop which opened last August to sell school uniforms and used to be a branch of Lloyds bank.

The charity’s operations manager Tracey Errington is stepping into Neil’s role.

GSA has come a long way since Neil set it up in an office above a garage in Sturdee Avenue, Gillingham in 2018.

As somebody who was once homeless and living on the streets, he set out to provide a basic soup kitchen and food bank.

But he soon realised people needed more than feeding themselves and their family.

Neil, who ran the charity with wife Tracey, used the proceeds from his string of charity shops and cafes to fund free clinics and workshops which are supported by Medway Council, the NHS and Medway Community Healthcare to name a few.

It costs about £1 million a year to run the charity which now employs 52 full-time staff as well as 100 volunteers.

In March last year, the charity took over an empty car showroom in Chatham High Street - its 11th venture in the past six years.

The former Grays Used Car Centre is just a few doors away from the former giant Argos where GSA now focuses on selling second-hand furniture and is the charity’s HQ.

Set in the heart of the Intra arts and cultural area, the “clothes emporium” specialises in repurposing and repairing items on the ground floor as well as offering free school uniforms.

The second storey is designated to provide services to support those impacted by poverty, wellbeing issues and unemployment.

At the new site, fashion designers are encouraged to restyle and showcase their work and seamstresses will be refreshing items which would normally be discarded.

Neil secured a three-year lease from the Gray family who have been present in Medway for more than 80 years.

He also managed to extend the lease from the Watts Charity which owns the Argos building for a further year.

Towards the end of last year, GSA opened a hub in King Street, Gillingham, to help people with mental health issues.

It has not all be plain-sailing. In December, KentOnline reported how GSA had been forced to close its branch in Star Hill, Rochester, for financial reasons.