Council supports Community Projects through its Household Support Fund

As well as helping individuals and families, via the Household Support Fund, the Council has supported 47 community projects including 6 food banks, 15 hot meal providers (including community cooking programmes), 4 food pantries and 22 holiday markets, providing on average 1880 food parcels per week.

Additionally, Preston City Council is also providing a wraparound support offer to all food banks and food pantries in receipt of HSF grants. First Aid, Risk Assessment and Safeguarding training courses have already been delivered, including 'drop in' debt advice, financial inclusion sessions and work clubs to those accessing the food banks and food pantries.

Councillor Nweeda Khan, Cabinet Member for Communities and Social Justice said:

"Help in the community in the form of food hubs and social projects are incredibly necessary and essential to help community projects such as, the Ashton Food Hub and Blue Flamingo Community Hub. It's important that groups and community hubs access the Household Support Fund so they in turn can help those in need in a supportive and proactive way."

Ruby Abram who runs Ashton Food Hub, a community project that originally started out from her spare bedroom helping those in need said:

"We help many families and individuals. The Household Support Fund really helps; without the funding, we wouldn't be able to pay the FareShare and buy extra tins and bits and bobs that we need. We're able to offer a better variety of food to the people we help."

Erin Singleton, founder of Blue Flamingo Community Hub and provides meals for its members relies on initiatives like the Household Support Fund, said:

 "It's huge for us. Although we are a community interest company, we run very much like a charity. So, everything that we get is through donations, we don't charge people at the door to access our services, and we feel very strongly about that and will always be a donations-led institution. We rely heavily on any kind of grant money and support from the local community to make contributions, to provide what we do."

Applications for the scheme are now open and will close on Monday, 30 September 2024, however this is subject to change if advised by central government that the scheme is being extended or runs out of funds.                                                                

More information

Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.