Aviva Community Fund has provided £41 of match funding
A Covid-safe outdoor community space
Wolverton, England, United Kingdom
Aim
To create a welcoming outdoor Covid-safe place for much needed social interaction, a surplus café and an events space.
We are The Old Bath House & Community Centre located in the heart of Wolverton, Milton Keynes. We have been a community hub since 1993. We provide facilities for community groups, projects, artists, musicians, local entrepreneurs and community events. We also host a successful community fridge project and zero emissions surplus food redistribution service 'Food Connect'.
Until March 2020 volunteers ran a successful weekly café which took place in our main hall. This enabled local residents to meet, chat and enjoy a free surplus lunch. The pandemic has meant that this much-needed service is no longer possible.
"Wonderful community centre for public meeting space with an enterprising community fridge saving local food from going to waste. Every estate should have one!" - Google review from 1 year ago
"Lovely people, amazing community cafe" - Google review from 1 year ago
How the pandemic affected us and our response:
We have strived to keep our doors open during the pandemic and when community groups and activities had to stop, the community fridge and Food Connect teams wasted no time in utilising the building as a hub for redistributing surplus food parcels and delivering them to local residents. The teams, most of whom are volunteers, have worked tirelessly to help save food waste, keep our bellies full, whilst being a vital lifeline for many who have suffered during this pandemic.
The Wolverton (MK) community fridge, once operating from the foyer area inside the building, has moved its service outside into an undercover space of the community centre, and it is here that we would like to create a welcoming and Covid-safe area for local residents to visit and enjoy, supported by Tesco who are offering us use of the space so we can continue helping the community.
"What an amazing place to be. I was served by the lady who's number is on the web site. She is freaking awesome!!! She was so helpful and so nice and easy to talk to. I will definitely go back. The things I got really helped me out. All fresh veg, breads, even sweets. There were sandwiches from pret too which were on top of your 10 items. Really amazing experience." - Google review from 2 months ago
How the funding will help us:
The funding will help transform this previously unloved area, help us add furniture, provide catering equipment, improve the lighting and create new artwork to generate a vibrant events space and pop-up alfresco café. The transformed area will encourage much needed social interaction to help improve mental health, tackle loneliness and build a more connected community. Maintaining the community fridge project outside will continue to enable people to safely gain access to free quality food, help reduce food waste and tackle food poverty issues that our community faces.
- art exhibition space
- art and lighting project
- new and upcycled outdoor furniture
- upcycled planters and growing project
- programmed events
We thank you in advance for your support to make this happen.
This project successfully funded on 23rd March 2021