On Saturday, 20th July, we spent the morning together celebrating our incredible community. We invited all those connected by our projects, to attend our Community Celebration Day, with the aim of promoting community cohesion, breaking down isolation and raising food for our new Pantry in Banstead. Families and individuals spent 2 fun filled hours together, …
Category Archives: News
Surrey Board signs End Poverty Pledge
Good Company received a boost to our End Poverty Pledge campaign after Councillor Bernie Muir as Chair signed the pledge on behalf of Surrey’s Health and Wellbeing Board, which is comprised of senior representatives from the NHS, social care, councils and voluntary sector organisations. The Board is committed to reducing the stark health inequalities in …
Supporting your gut health on a budget
Our Pantry Coordinator, Jane, writes about a recent community workshop on nutrition We constantly hear or read about what foods are good or bad for us in the media. The messages can be very confusing and difficult for people to unpick and understand what to choose or buy for themselves and their family. At Epsom …
Celebrating volunteers
Good Company is a local charity that grew out of Epsom and Ewell Foodbank, founded 12 years ago by local churches and community groups, working together towards stopping hunger in our local area. We very much rely on our band of around 250 volunteers who help out in many different ways; people from all …
“No one eats a proper meal, everyone is just snacking.”
School food is in the news again after a Headteacher in Southampton complained about the “completely unacceptable” meals being provided to students and apologised to parents. The photos he posted of some of the meals being served at his school canteen went viral under the headline, “how hard is it bake a potato?”.1 At Good …
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Refugee access to education
Refugee Manager, Jess Brooks writes about a new post funded by Surrey County Council to support Ukrainian families to access and navigate the education system. In a world where education is the key to unlocking countless opportunities, ensuring that every individual has access to quality education is paramount. Epsom & Ewell Refugee Network (EERN) is …
The worrying rise in deep poverty and what we can do to solve it
Helen Barnard, Director of Policy, Research and Impact at the Trussell Trust recently spoke at a small event for staff and a few of our partners and supporters. We think her insights and knowledge are worth sharing, so Jen Barnard nb. no relation! (Strategy Lead) has summarized some of Helen’s key points here: The most …
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Christmas Saving Scheme
Pantry Manager Bex writes about a new pilot project: The Christmas Saving Scheme In the lead up to this festive period Epsom Pantry has been trialling a new initiative suggested by members and clients: a Christmas Saving Scheme. The idea came out of the Next Steps Focus Groups that were held with members of Epsom …
Filling the gap – why I’m a counsellor
My counselling journey began 30 years ago when I received counselling as I was struggling with my mental health, around that time, I was also introduced to the Christian faith. Five years later I started my first counselling course at Nescot college. I continued studying and finally qualified at Spurgeon’s College after 8 years. It …
The housing we need
Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a very public intervention about housing, reiterating the government’s target to build 1 million new homes over this parliament and extend home ownership to many more households. “Only Conservatives will provide the housing we need,” he claimed. What was missing from his statement was any mention of the …