Working with our partners to set up Sedbury community larder

We’ve set up a community larder #Twogether with local partners to help provide free food to people struggling with the cost of living.

We partnered with St Luke’s Church, Salvation Army, Travis Perkins Managed Services and Sedbury Space to collect, store and distribute food to people who would otherwise find it difficult to put food on the table.

We provided a space for the community larder at our HomePlus scheme in Sedbury, and a £700 donation from the Travis Perkins Legacy Fund, was used to install a freezer at the site. The funding also helped towards stocking the larder and freezer with a range of foods from instant pasta and soup to chicken nuggets and frozen vegetables.

The food will be distributed to local people including our tenants by local Wellbeing Chaplain, Rev. Nicki Bullivant. This will help support people in the local community who are still struggling with the cost-of-living. Donations from members of the church and funding from the Salvation Army will help keep the larder stocked up with essential food items going forward and we’ll will keep the food secure in the larder for as long as it’s needed.

We’ve worked with partner organisations in the area to build relationships with the local community. Over the last 12 months, we’ve held events including breakfast clubs and pizza making workshops in Sedbury and across Gloucestershire. These events have provided a chance for tenants and other members of the community to share their thoughts with us and help us identify what further support is needed in the area.

Working with partner organisations to support the wider needs of its communities is an important part of our corporate strategy – ‘Delivering #Twogether 2024-2027’.

Hayley Selway, Chief Executive at Two Rivers Housing, recently visited the larder to see the work for herself, she said: “The cost of living is affecting everyone from young adults, families and the elderly and there is a real need for this type of support in Sedbury and across the wider Gloucestershire area. Food poverty is a current reality for so many and has in particular, significant long-term impacts on a child’s life chances. Working alongside our partners I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to support this project.”

Elliott James, Branch Manager at Travis Perkins, which provided funding for the larder said: “It is great to be able to support this community effort, which will make a huge difference for people living in Sedbury. This is the type of project that our Legacy Fund with Two Rivers Housing is there to support.” 

Elizabeth Cox, Pioneer Community Leader from Salvation Army added: “It’s really exciting to be part of this collaboration, listening to the community and helping provide the support we know is needed.”

Rev. Nicki Bullivant, Associate Priest & Wellbeing Chaplain who will help distribute food from the community larder added: “Access to this kind of support can really help people get through a difficult time in their lives. We are grateful to Two Rivers Housing for providing a space for the larder and to the Salvation Army and Travis Perkins for working with us to support our community.”

Two Rivers Housing manages more than 4,600 homes in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and surrounding area. Its community engagement team run and support a number of local events across its communities to help support families living in these areas.