THOSE struggling to cope during the crippling cost-of-living crisis have been given a helping hand by a community cafe in Redditch.
The new eatery has had an extraordinary impact since opening in March thanks to a £21,341 Severn Trent Community Fund grant.
Many people, young and old, have so far benefited from the delicious and nutritious free meals on offer with the caring local community showing how it can come together to help those most in need.
Town supermarkets provide some of the fresh food ingredients for the cafe – run by the Old Needle Works Foundation charity – including quality meat and fruit and veg that would otherwise have been destined for the bin.
The Severn Trent grant provided funding for a wellbeing co-ordinator who helps run the cafe alonside a dedicated team of staff and volunteers.
The Old Needle Works Foundation opened at the famous Britten House site some seven years ago, offering mental health and welfare support for vulnerable people and families. The charity also signposts training and employment opportunities at the centre, where partnership teams including MIND and Citizen Advice are also based.
The café and warm hub is open Monday to Friday every week.
Old Needle Works Foundation chief executive Elaine Grant, also a mum-of-two, said: “The cafe has been a huge success, welcoming many people through the doors since it opened – from children to people in their 80s and 90s.
There’s nothing quite like this in the area.
“We get a lot of families dropping in. Many parents tell us when the money gets short they can struggle to buy food and fresh fruit and veg.
“All our food is nutritious and freshly cooked, we use no processed food.
“So parents and children can come along and enjoy a hot meal and can also take home a bag of fruit or veg.”
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis affecting all areas of society inspired the cafe’s inception.
Elaine added it was not just people on benefits who were impacted.
“Some are working parents who are just struggling with the increasing costs of food.
“We came up with the idea for the café after noticing the impact of the cost-of-living crisis in the community on mental health.
“We wanted to support people practicably by providing a safe, warm place where they could receive a hot meal and drink, or help with the services they might need.
“Throughout the week we get donations from supermarkets through the Fairshare organisation.
“The food that we receive, including veg and meat, is cooked in our kitchens and we provide a menu every day for people to choose from, including vegetarian options. “
“We also have cold meals, including packed lunches for people or parents to take away.”
Lots of groups work in partnership with the cafe, including Citizens Advice and MIND and previous work has included offering parenting support, including training and advice, which also benefited from an earlier £18,000 Severn Trent Community Fund.
The wellbeing co-ordinator also arranges group social events, including a book club and writing groups.
The café funding is part of a £10m programme of grants being handed out by Severn Trent.
Elaine said: “The cafe would not have happened without the Severn Trent grant – we needed the wellbeing co-ordinator to help make it happen.
“This funding meant we could create a warm and welcoming cafe space and have it open throughout the week.”
Elaine also paid tribute to the dedicated staff and volunteers who keep the cafe and charity going, adding ‘a lot of stuff went on out-of-hours’.
“Some people arrive here in distress, that can be very hard, especially when children are involved.
“We work with adults in all sorts of complex situations and they tell us we have been a lifeline.
“We get a massive sense of purpose from what we do – we are all very passionate about it.”
Search for ‘Community Fund’ at stwater.co.uk for more on the Severn Trent Community Fund and applying for funding.
