Winchester Basics Bank opens new hub at Badger Farm Community Centre with support from Council funding
Winchester Basics Bank has opened up a new hub at Badger Farm Community Centre with funding support from Winchester City Council.
The new hub provides food, as well as hygiene and cleaning products, to anyone in the local community who is facing financial difficulty, and is the fifth Winchester Basics Bank location now up and running in and around Winchester City.
The hub has been supported by a £5,000 city council grant, which went towards renovating a room within the community centre and helped the charity to purchase new shelves and fridges to store their stock.
Speaking about the new hub, Basics Bank Chair Lesley Little said:
“We already had 4 locations in Winchester and Alresford and they were getting very busy so we felt the need for another hub on this side of the city to serve our clients here.
The Community Centre have been very welcoming and very helpful and, helped by the city council’s grant, we’ve been able to refurbish what was a bar into a nice room where we can store things. People can park, and the other advantage is that everyone in Sainsburys is walking out with carrier bags, so you don’t stand out so much.
“We’re not just for people on benefits or those who aren’t working – we’re for people who have an emergency cashflow problem – so if you get a sudden repair bill or perhaps lose some overtime, we’re here for everyone.”
Winchester City Council Cabinet Member for Community and Engagement Cllr Kathleen Becker said:
“Winchester Basics Bank’s services provide a vital lifeline for those in Winchester who are struggling financially, and I know that their new hub at Badger Farm Community Centre will be greatly welcomed by the local community. I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to provide some funding to help get the hub off the ground.”
Badger Farm Community Centre Manager Ali Cochrane said:
“It’s been a privilege to work with Winchester Basics Bank to support the opening of a new hub in our Community Centre. We’ve worked hard to change some of the layout of the building to make it fit for their purposes and I’m pleased that we’re now able to offer this service to the community and help give people the dignity that they deserve”.
Local residents can access the hub’s services on Mondays between 10am and 12.30pm. Anyone can be referred through an agency, such as the city council, Trinity Centre or Citizens Advice, or self-refer by visiting the Winchester Basics Bank website: www.winchesterbasicsbank.co.uk
Organisations interested in applying for a grant from Winchester City Council can visit www.winchester.gov.uk/grants-for-not-for-profit-organisations