Who is your Community Development Officer?
I am Bobby Tait; I am the Community Development Officer working in Chard.
I have been in the role for 18 months and love working with the community of Chard and particularly the groups who do so much to improve the lives of others there. There is such a strong sense of community and belonging which I think is rare these days and has been formed partly from the isolation of the town.
In my previous job I managed an energy shop for Utilita Energy in Gosport, Hampshire and so I can appreciate the costs people are facing in just trying to provide the basics such as a warm home with food on the table.
You can contact Bobby by emailing Robert.Tait@abri.co.uk
What have we been up to in Chard?
We recognised not everyone is able to access low-cost food within their communities. We launched The Mobile Community Pantry in June 2023, essentially, it's a community pantry on wheels, so we can go where the community need us. To date, we have 72 members and on average have saved customers a total of £8,000 In shopping.
We are currently looking to work with local partners and communities to deliver the Mobile Pantry, if you are interested, please reach out.
We supported Chard Community Hub to set up their own community fridge and pantry, delivering low-cost food to the community of Chard. Initially, the hub lacked capacity to collect the food required for the running of both the fridge and pantry. Abri have supported the ongoing food distribution to sustain both projects to continue a well needed service in the area. Abri have recently funded the pantry to secure volunteers to continue this work and sustain the project delivered entirely by the community.
You said
You want to make the Bishops Court Gardens more accessible for customers with mobility issues, improve the current space & create a gardening group
We did
We supported 9 customers to create a new constituted gardening group, to enable them to access funding, enhance the community space for all and to create new connections for the the customers living in and around Bishops Court. So far, the group have secured a total of £8,400 In social value procurement funding, to provide mobility scooter facilities, improve current facilities, such as seating, pathways and sheds
