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, visiting the different stalls, which included a sweet tombola, crafts, temporary tattoos, lots of cake and squash. We also had laser guns, football and a fantastic children’s entertainer who provided music and games, which was all free for those attending.
As well as all the fun, there was also an opportunity to write a message about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, which will be shared at a Trussell Trust national event in September. Those messages included concern over the cost of school uniform, having to choose between paying for bills and buying food, the high cost of housing and difficulty in accessing the right support when experiencing financial hardship. We know that these are common issues with the members of our community who are part of our projects, which include Epsom & Ewell Foodbank, Epsom Pantry and Epsom Refugee Network. Our recent Foodbank Impact report (March 2024) states that 38% of respondents had to access the emergency food provision because of the rise of cost of essentials and our 2024 Pantry Impact Report states that more that three quarters of respondents have worried about running out of food.
We are grateful that amidst the challenges we were able to share a great morning together but we couldn’t have done this event without the help of our volunteers, who baked cakes, helped organise, provided items for the stalls and so much more!
Also, a big thank you to Blenheim School, who provided the venue free of charge, to Katie, our Children’s Entertainer from Pipsqeaks who kindly offered her services for free. And last, but not least, to all the attendees for making it a joyful event and generously sharing food towards our new Pantry in Banstead.
