Talbot Village Trust has donated more than £20,000 to Somerford Youth and Community Centre to help develop the People’s Pantry community food store.
The grant-giving charity has provided the community centre with the funds required to set up the People’s Pantry which enables locals to have access to low cost food which would have otherwise been thrown away. Members of the pantry are required to pay £3.50 per week and can then select up to 10 food items during each weekly visit.
The membership scheme is aimed at helping people in the community make their money go further by reducing food shopping bills potentially by around £500 a year.
Jae Harris, Manager of Somerford Youth and Community Centre, said: “The support received from Talbot Village Trust has provided us with a lifeline to develop these much-needed services for the community. The projects we are running have a high demand and this continues to grow as services from the statutory sector are reduced. Many families and young people have directly benefited from the funding we have been fortunate to receive from the Trust.”
The grant also helped the centre to develop a community gym which allows people to improve their health and fitness at a heavily reduced rate compared to other gyms based in the area.
Russell Lucas-Rowe, Trustee of Talbot Village Trust, added: “The volunteers at the centre go above and beyond to ensure that the young people in Christchurch continue to have a safe and welcoming environment. At Somerford Youth and Community Centre, local residents have access to affordable activities which have been designed to improve their emotional wellbeing, social skills, and reduce anti-social behaviour.
“Our grant has supported two fundamental projects at the centre which in return has had immense benefits on the people in the community who rely on these services and has secured them for the future.”
Talbot Village Trust meets biannually and is accepting applications for funding from both previous and new applicants in the area before the Trustees meet in autumn of this year. Please go to www.talbotvillagetrust.org for more information.