PWCF visits Scotland

PWCF’s Executive Director recently visited three charities in the Glasgow area who have been supported through small grants. Govan HELP, Toonspeak Young People’s Theatre and Erskine have benefited from PWCF’s COVID-19 Recovery Fund to help these charities respond to the impacts of the pandemic on the communities they support.

‘It was wonderful to see the vital work these charities are delivering to communities in and around Glasgow‘, said Nikki Jeffery, PWCF’s Executive Director. She continued ‘with their deep understanding of the issues people are facing, and committed teams of staff and volunteers, they continue to adapt and develop their services to meet peoples’ needs and deliver high quality programmes and support‘.

Thank you to all the organisations above for hosting this visit, and allowing us to learn so much about your work. Scotland – we’ll be back! Learn more about our visit below.

Govan HELP

Through the Govan Pantry, Govan HELP is working to combat food poverty and reduce food waste. For £2.50, pantry users can choose any ten items, including fresh food and toiletries, making an average saving of £15 per shop. So far, Govan Pantry has enabled the community to save over £500,000 on the cost of food and essential items, with 136 tonnes of CO2 also saved through diverting food from landfill.

The Pantry is open to all and serves an important role in the community by opening the door for people to access Govan HELP’s broader family support services. The communities supported by Govan HELP are very diverse and they work with interpreters who speak 22 different languages to reach out to people with information and support.

Toonspeak Young People’s Theatre

Toonspeak engages young people age 5-18, providing open access to the performing arts – whether through providing activity packs during lockdown, organising paid for trips to the theatre or setting up work placements in the performing arts. Toonspeak is committed to integrating itself within the local community in Glasgow and representing the young people it helps. Toonspeak’s commitment to being youth-led goes to the very top of the organisation through their Young Board members who are recruited from their programme participants and alumni. The Young Board members hold the same legal powers and responsibilities as other Trustees and provide valuable input, insight and inspiration to inform Toonspeak’s work.

Erskine

Erskine provides an impressive array of care, support and accommodation services for veterans, including the provision of high quality care homes, assisted living apartments and transitional supported accommodation for service leavers. Erskine provides veterans with many additional benefits and support which really help to boost their health and wellbeing. The Erskine ‘village’ also includes a wonderful day centre where veterans can learn skills such as pottery and woodwork, as well as meet others and become a real part of the Erskine community.