Great Yarmouth Pathway

Aim

To provide free hot meals and food parcels to vulnerable members of our deprived community in Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth Pathway is an independent charity located at the heart of one of the most deprived areas of the country. Our vital work drastically improves the quality of life for members of the local community, but we rely entirely on fundraising grants and donations to provide these services.

The Context

Great Yarmouth is ranked 150th out of the 12382 parishes in the country for general deprivation, where 1 is the most deprived (CUF Lookup tool). The borough also contains three of the 225 wards in the country classified as ‘left behind’ because of the lack of social infrastructure (Local Trust report 2019/20). The reality of this in our area is that people are experiencing poverty of food and poverty of relationships and community.

Harry Arnott, a researcher with Norfolk Citizen’s Advice Bureau recently reported that “The last quarter has seen an 18pc increase in the number of people contacting us about fuel debt, requesting food bank vouchers or support from other charities compared to the same period last year. The heartbreaking fact is that many people simply have nothing left in their budget they can cut back on. With food and energy prices predicted to continue to rise over the coming months many people will struggle to get by…We are seeing people that are dropping into financial challenges and debt who haven’t been there before.” (https://www.ncab.org.uk/our-news/living crisis-8869324)

The impact on an area which is already deprived such as Great Yarmouth, is a deepening of and spreading need. Those who were already struggling financially find themselves at the bottom of an even deeper pit with no hope of climbing out. Added to that, more and more people who have never previously needed help or struggled with money are suddenly finding themselves in crisis and needing a safety net. The impact of this is already being felt at Great Yarmouth Pathway. Great Yarmouth Pathway runs the Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank, which has had a 145% increase in parcel distribution since March (from 25 parcels on average a week to an average of 61 parcels). These parcels go to people who are struggling with crisis situations. Like the lady who attended

the Yarmouth & Magdalen foodbank recently who had been living on jars of olives for 3 weeks because she had no food and no money. When she saw the food that the foodbank could give her she burst into tears.

This current increase in demand comes at a time of the year when referrals would usually be decreasing as finances recover from the costs of colder weather and Christmas. If the consistent pattern of previous years is repeated (and with the rising costs of fuel prices it might be expected to be amplified), this demand will dramatically increase as winter approaches.

The Vision

The Pathway Cafe and Resource Centre was set up in 2014 to provide a free hot meal, community and support for people who need it:

“When we started The Great Yarmouth Pathway café we imagined a safe place where people could warm-up, have hot food and that we can practically demonstrate that a person is loved and valued by our community”

Barbara Rowe, Founding Volunteer, Great Yarmouth Pathway.

This has continued to be the vision up to the current day. There is no criteria or any restrictions, and no-one has to justify their attendance. As a result a very diverse group of people gathers, usually over 100 at each session. Some are there because they can’t afford to buy nutritious food, some because they like the company, some because it is warmer than the tent they are sleeping in, some because they are recognised and valued there, and some because it is the only time during the week they get to talk to anyone.

When founded, Pathway cafe expected to feed 30 people at each session. Now, around 85-105 people attend – although, at times we have served 120 people. As we open 3 times a week, that amounts to roughly 315 adults served hot food each week and over 16,000 hot meals a year. In addition, during the summertime, we often support families during school holidays when free school meals are not available.

The Great Yarmouth Pathway, in partnership with other agencies, also aims to help people to make positive life changes. Local agencies often attend, offering advice and support to individuals. We have seen people make real progress as a result of this, for example moving into accommodation, attending training, getting jobs, accessing mental health support. Some have also felt able and willing to join our volunteer team.

In Spring 2022 Great Yarmouth Pathway established the Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank in partnership with the Trussell Trust. This was in response to the local council approaching Pathway to highlight the demand in the town for foodbanks and the existing provision not being able to fulfill the demand. Many who attend the café continue to struggle with food for themselves and their families during the week, particularly at times of crisis such as illness or benefit delays. The foodbank now distributes around 40-45 parcels each week, all of which are by professional referral only. That’s 2080 parcels a year, and we see the need growing all the time as the cost of living crisis sweeps in. The foodbank means that no-one in our borough has to go without food. The foodbank is also passionate about moving people beyond a position of crisis through advice and sign-posting. We are also in a fortunate position to be able to offer delivery of parcels, which is something that no other foodbank in Great Yarmouth can offer. This helps us to reach out to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Great Yarmouth Pathway operates to address the poverty and social isolation that is so prevalent in the area. The building sits at the heart of one of the most deprived estates in the town, and offers a real hub for the local community.

The Logistics

The support offered has four main strands to it:

● Provision of a hot meal three times a week for homeless and vulnerable members of the community. including hot and cold drinks and dessert.

● A foodbank session once a week to provide emergency food for people in crisis. ● Provision of a warm, safe space where friendships and support can be offered ∙ ● Signposting clients to organisations who can help with their difficult and complex circumstances

In order to help Great Yarmouth Pathway to grow to meet the needs of its clients it became a registered charity in June 2018 (charity number 1178940).

We have a Charity Project Manager, paid chef and a large team of dedicated volunteers who run Great Yarmouth Pathway. The cafe operates 3 days per week from 11:30-13:30 and the foodbank is once a week 9:30-13:30.

Our volunteers range in age from 20 through to late seventies and some have been previous Great Yarmouth Pathway customers. Volunteers gain confidence and develop practical skills within a catering environment; often for the first time. For some this acts as a stepping stone into

paid employment which they previously didn’t have the skills or confidence to consider. Great Yarmouth Pathway currently offers an induction course supported by the necessary training to achieve food hygiene, fire training and first aid qualifications. For our volunteers, there is also the opportunity to offer awareness raising courses in issues such as safeguarding and trafficking.

Filling the Gap

Although other meal drop-ins and foodbanks exist in Great Yarmouth Borough, they do not have capacity to meet the increasing need in Great Yarmouth. The Great Yarmouth Pathway is the only meal drop-in on the Barracks estate in Great Yarmouth which faces some of the most challenging social issues in the borough. We have also purposefully chosen our opening days to complement other local provision, and the cafe is open all-year, including school holidays.

Similarly, the Yarmouth & Magdalen Foodbank which was opened in March 2022 by the Great Yarmouth Pathway, was opened in response to the need which couldn’t be met by the existing foodbank serving the area. Again, we have planned our opening times to complement the other local foodbank and we are also able to offer a delivery service for those who are unable to travel to the centre, which they are unable to offer.

The Great Yarmouth Pathway works closely and has regular communication with all other local agencies and providers to offer a joined up and complementary support for local people.

The Impact

The reasons our clients give for using the Great Yarmouth Pathway are:

● A Hot Meal: Many of our clients live in one room without any, or with inadequate, cooking facilities. For many the Great Yarmouth Pathway is the only way to ensure one hot nutritious meal on a few days a week and to help maintain their physical health.

● Structure: Time for many of our clients is fluid and irrelevant. Attending centres at a specific time and day gives an element of structure to the day-to-day lives of our customers. This is so important for mental wellbeing.

● Friendship: Through the café many friendship groups have been formed, and these relationships help form positive and protective support networks for our clients.

● Support: The Great Yarmouth Pathway offers signposting to outside agencies and offers clients support from our volunteers.

● A Breathing Space: Many of the clients are subject to abuse, violence and a lack of respect on the streets and state that they do not feel safe at any time. At the Great Yarmouth Pathway everyone is equal and deserving of respect – at the café we find that respect breeds respect.

● A food parcel: An emergency parcel to carry client through a crisis period, coupled with substantial support and signposting to form resolutions to problems. Many clients are referred to other agencies to seek expert help.

Feedback from our clients include the following:

“You have helped me more than any other place I have been”

“I was really nervous and embarrassed to come here to ask for food, but you were so kind and

helpful”

“I just wanted to thank you and all the team again, you’ve helped me more than you can ever imagine”

“I come to meet people…It breaks the monotony of staring at four walls and gives me company. Everyone’s really friendly and if you don’t know someone, you soon get to know them. The staff are very friendly too.”

“You hear about it from the word on the street. It was a safe and warm place to come when I was on the streets.”

The following case study shows how at the Great Yarmouth Pathway we look to support people far beyond food provision, to addressing some of their underlying, more hidden needs.

W lives in Great Yarmouth with his partner and has limited income. He came to the Foodbank at Great Yarmouth Pathway for a food parcel. W’s partner has severe mental health issues for which she has been hospitalised in the past, and self-harms daily if left unattended. A lot of their income is spent on cleaning products and replacing bedding and soft furnishings as a result of her serious self-harm. A carer comes in when W has to leave the house for appointments or shopping. However, W is always anxious when not at home. As well as a food parcel, we were able to make referrals to the Borough Council Community Support team for help with cleaning the house and to Adult Social service for support and respite for W.

As a result, the council have agreed to replace the whole kitchen and bathroom, and all the kitchen and bathroom units will have lockable, doors and drawers. So that W’s partner can no longer access sharp implements for self-harming, which will increase his peace of mind and reduce damage to the property.

The Costs

During 2021 it cost £63,706.10 to provide 16,000 hot meals and a welcoming community and put in the foundations for the opening of the foodbank in spring 2022. As we continue to grow and to provide an ever improving service, this in turn increases costs. Nevertheless we work hard to be as efficient and cost-effective as possible. This includes the following:

● An effective volunteer programme which not only provides opportunities and training, but also ensures that staffing costs are kept to a minimum. We are looking to expand and develop this programme over the coming year.

● A focus on encouraging community involvement and donations. We have developed and continue to work on developing relationships with local businesses, schools, organisations etc. who are regularly donating food and toiletries.

● We have enabled donations to be easily given via our website including gift-aiding. We are able to use the website and social media to make people in the local community and beyond aware of the need and how their financial contributions will help.

● We have built a fundraising element into the role of the Great Yarmouth Pathway Project Manager, in order to ensure sustainability.

Conclusion

As you will have realised, Great Yarmouth Pathway is a crucial part of the community and lives for many people in the area. For others it is what has kept them alive and given them a fresh start. Due to its significant growth and rising demand Great Yarmouth, Pathway is looking for funding to continue to offer its current service level but also to give the charity the capacity to extend its services further.