‘I’m living the dream’: how Shrewsbury's rough sleepers found room at one special inn

Hotelier who has taken in homeless people urges others to follow his lead

In the wood-panelled restaurant of the Prince Rupert hotel, a four-star Tudor building in the centre of historic Shrewsbury, Richard Marshall, 31, is sitting near a table full of donated Christmas presents, talking about how his life has changed.

In March, Marshall went from being a rough sleeper to a guest at the hotel as part of the government’s Everyone In scheme – which spent £3.2m to get about 90% of the homeless population in England into accommodation.