This month, as part of our Support in the Community Initiative, we’re shining a spotlight on our Charity of the Month – Polbeth Community HUB.
Polbeth Community HUB was founded in December 2018 to ensure that Polbeth had a community building to meet the needs of the local community, but also to support the overall regeneration of the whole village.
The aim of the HUB is to reduce poverty and increase potential and they do this by supporting the local community to bring about social change.
Polbeth Community HUB offers a wide range of activities, clubs, groups, services and more for the local community including Yoga, a free Person-Centred Counselling Service, Messy Play sessions, Bingo and more.
The HUB also organises a range of events and projects which not only help to bring the local community together, but increase skills, build relationships and provide support for individuals and families who may be struggling. One such project included handing out over 70 food parcels to those in need over last year’s festive period.
The first and most important project that Polbeth Community HUB set up was the Community Shop and Fridge. The HUB is part of the FareShare initiative which creates a link between the project and major supermarkets in the area, to ensure that their surplus stock does not go to waste. Volunteers from the HUB collect the food from partner shops and supermarkets, clean and stock the fridge, ready for people to pay what they can afford for the products on offer. All money raised is reinvested into the local community.
The Community Fridge does a fantastic job of reducing food inequality in the area and gives people easy access to fresh food and the opportunity to try out new recipes, whilst reducing the amount of fresh food being put into landfill from supermarkets.
With over 300 members, the shop plays a huge role in both the local community and surrounding areas. Recently there has been more demand for their service, with a greater number of people relying on the community fridge for their weekly shop.
As part of our charity partnership with Polbeth Community HUB, we’re doing a call out for donations to help the local community keep warm over the winter period.
Our donation box is set up next to the Customer Service Desk and donations of the following would be welcomed: winter blankets, bed socks, hats and scarves for all age groups as well as hot water bottles.
Polbeth Community HUB will distribute the items free of charge to families in need.
If you would like to find out more about Polbeth Community HUB, their timetable of events and activities, or how you can get involved, check out their website at https://www.polbeth.com/
