New Bridge space ‘more than just a foodbank’
Guernsey Welfare Service will be operating its foodbank and other services from a new community space at the Bridge to make the service more accessible.
The Welfare Service will be operating from 1, New Road, on Tuesday mornings so they can reach more people.
‘We want to be more accessible to more people,’ said Susi Glegg of the Guernsey Welfare Service.
‘There are a lot of people living down here on the north side of the island, and there is probably going to be more in the future. I actually live nearby the Bridge and feel like there are a lot of people struggling and possibly more elderly people who can’t get to us in Mansell Street. We forget how hard it is to get around when we have our own transport.’
The Rock Community Church rented the facility and invited the Welfare Service in to run its services from there on a Tuesday morning.
‘We were looking at doing something like this, and we came together to do this,’ said Phil Baldock, the team co-ordinator of Rock Community Church.
‘It is already a well-established service and this for us is an easy way to have an impact on our community.’
Mrs Glegg said that the service was ‘very grateful’ to have use of the facility.
‘They’ve been very kind to let us have this morning a week, we wouldn’t be able to do this without them,’ she said.
The Welfare Service will be operating other services from the facility on Tuesday mornings as well.
‘We’re not just a foodbank, we are a multi-use bank,’ Mrs Glegg said.
‘We signpost people to other things and also provide household essentials, that is something that we have really taken on over the past couple of years. So if people need things like a kettle or mattress we can give them to them.’
About 20 people drop into the centre at Mansell Street each week where they can find company and support.
In 2023 the Guernsey Welfare Service estimated that it gave away £350,000-worth of food.
‘We have had a slow start here, but it will pick up as people can only use the foodbank once a month,’ said Mrs Glegg.
‘Now we have the information out there we are expecting more people to come and see us down here.’
The foodbank will be operating from 1, New Road, St Sampson’s – next door to Fletchersports – for a one-year trial period between 9am and 1pm on Tuesdays.
