1 NEW FOREST BASICS BANK NEWSLETTER - God’s love in action Issue 26

Exciting news. As we have outgrown the cabin and for the past few years have had to store goods in a container at Ampress Industrial Estate. We have applied for planning permission to build a store which should see us through many years of assisting people in

need. More of this in the planning item.

Christine Miles, one of our volunteers, from the early days, who was also a Trustee has decided that she will relinquish her post as a Trustee but will remain as a volunteer. We have also said farewell to Sean Dunn and Yvonne Borrett who again have been with us for many years and we send them off with our best wishes.

Business continues as normal keeping us fully occupied making up parcels and having them ready for our very willing band of drivers who sometimes need a shoehorn to fit the parcels in their cars. We appreciate the cheerful way in which our drivers speed off with the goods. Many thanks to you all.

Summertime sees our stocks reducing rapidly but along comes September and enormous donations come pouring in from the Harvest festivals held in the churches, schools and rest homes. So thank you all so much.

We were overwhelmed with goodies to add to the parcels going out at Christmas and thanks to all the clubs, work places and individuals who contributed in this way.

During the month of December a WH Smith voucher was given to the children in families receiving parcels. This year the St Vincent de Paul charity covered these gifts and it was good to work with them so thank you. Three hundred Christmas special parcels were prepared by a team of noble volunteers and due to a late request for some of these parcels we made up an extra one hundred goody

bags for children from our stocks.

In conclusion, YOU are the people who need a special thank you. Your donations in kind and money are the only way we can keep running and show “God’s love in action” through NFBB.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Janet Chairman

Newsletter 2019

Diary DatesAGM 27 June 2019 at 2.30pmSt. Joseph’s Place Room at Our Lady of Mercy and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lymington. A light tea will be available after the meeting.

Notes from the Chair

2 NEW FOREST BASICS BANK NEWSLETTER - God’s love in action Issue 26

Post Christmas LuncheonIt was a fun day when over 30 of our volunteers arrived for a post Christmas team lunch at the Walhampton Arms. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet others involved in the work carried out by the food bank, and to put faces to names.

Janet, and David da Cunha gave a brief talk about the proposed new building for the food bank, and progress on the planning details.

A great time was had by all, and the food was pretty good too!

Tin to Table

A collaboration with Alison Talbot at NFDC (now CEO at CANF) , chef and food writer Ester Davis and Basics Bank volunteer Trina Hart, saw the idea of a recipe book for inclusion in the food parcels. The plan was to show how to produce simple meals using the contents of the food parcels, in particular where tins are used. The idea was then expanded to include more signposting for the recipient which would assist with many of the next steps often required when struggling on benefits, with finances and other social issues that drives those into a situation where a food parcel is required.

Funding was forthcoming from the Joseph Rowntree Trust and the Good Things Foundation. The book was so well received by the trusts, that the Community Challenge Prize was awarded to the team and presented at a function hosted in the House of Lords. New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne was present at the reception to champion the team’s achievements.

The Tin to Table book is included within the food parcels going out each week.

Best Laid Plans!NFBB has now been granted planning permission by NFDC to build a new purpose built modular building on land at the rear of the car park of Our Lady & St Joseph’s RC church at 132, High Street Lymington owned by NFDC. We will negotiate a long lease to give NFBB long term security of tenure for the charity.

We are now finalising our costings and a budget for approval by the Trustees to be followed by discussions with Local Authorities with whom we have had informal discussions, about the level of funding they might make available. In 2018 Lymington & Pennington offered us £50,000 in matched funding and we are hopeful that it

should be possible to completely fund the project by the end of this year and to have the new building open and operating by Easter 2020.

More information will be available and presented at the AGM on 27th June 2019.

Example to show how the new building will look

3 NEW FOREST BASICS BANK NEWSLETTER - God’s love in action Issue 26

Local potter Jules Carpenter, and one of our volunteers Trina Hart organised Empty Bowls New Forest, a fund raising event for Basics Bank that created quite a buzz around Lymington. Using a formula that has become popular in America, Jules contacted her potter friends and asked them to donate bowls for soup, Trina contacted local restaurants and asked them to donate soup, and also enlisted the help of local businesses to help fund the marketing side of things, such as print and secure collection boxes.

When ‘soup week’ arrived, they had collected over 100 bowls from 17 local potters, and 4 venues had committed to the soup donation; Stanwell House Hotel, The Larder, Greedos and The Old School Cafe at St Barbe.

After a lot of promotion in the local press, and a social media campaign that saw 100s of pledges, the soup week was a resounding success raising in excess of £1550 for basics Bank.

Soup had never been so popular as it was that week!

Jules and Trina plan another event in 2020, where they hope to engage further with the potters, and hopefully beat this year’s figure.

The positive outcome was not just in financial terms, there was a terrific amount of awareness raised around the food bank and the work that Basics Bank does in the community.

Thanks go to Jules Carpenter Pottery for instigating this campaign, Trina Hart for collaborating and bringing up the rear on the marketing stuff, Thesis Asset Management, The Local Art Scene, Lymington Printing Company, Tony Jenvey from Solent Projects, Peter Cooper Ltd and Lymington Precision Engineering for helping fund the print, advertising and the charity boxes and finally...ALL the potters who have produced the most magnificent bowls they are: Jules Ceramics • Jane Savill • JP Scribbles • IsDi Ceramics • High Ridge Pottery • Claudia Bailey • Sea & Sky Ceramics • Moon Studio Ceramics • Brick Kiln Pottery • Rachel Palmer • Muddy Puddles Pottery • Fran Fortesque • JustSo Ceramics • Vinegar Hill Pottery • Tim Thornton Ceramics • Three Just Potters

Empty Bowls New Forest

Waitrose ExperienceTwo members of staff from the Lymington branch of Waitrose spent 2 hours in the cabin to experience the workings of Basics Bank. Carol and Liz showed them the ropes, explaining everything from shelf stacking to filling the parcels. It was a great insight for them, and they really enjoyed seeing how the team works. They will feed back useful food bank requirements to their management. Waitrose is a great support to Basics Bank, so it was lovely to be able to show them what happens behind the scenes with the donated products that we receive from them.

4 NEW FOREST BASICS BANK NEWSLETTER - God’s love in action Issue 26

Items most urgently requiredTins Meat (hot and cold meats)Tins Hot DogsTins Meat BallsTins Vegetables Carrots, Peas, Other Tins Potatoes Tins Rice PuddingsTins CustardTins FruitCoffeeUHT MilkNoodlesSponge puddings Savoury Biscuits Tooth Brushes/PasteToilet RollsShampooWashing up liquidJ ClothsKitchen Rolls

Mothers’ Union GiftSwap4CoffeeIn January the Brockenhurst Mothers’ Union held their annual GiftSwap4Coffee morning, which was a huge success with a bumper turnout. In exchange for a free cup of coffee and home-made biscuit, people were invited to come along and donate items for one of 4 charities: Basics Bank, AFIA (the Mothers’ Union family holiday scheme), the Women’s Refuge and Tools for Self Reliance. Representatives from the charities all went home with cars filled with generous donations and takings from the gift & book tables which raised funds for Mothers’ Union projects. Two lovely hampers filled with items donated by branch members were also raffled. As well as locals, advertising on Radio Solent on Julian Clegg’s ‘Feel Good Friday’ slot brought in people from Park Gate, Romsey and Bournemouth, and phoned enquiries from as far afield as Gosport and Weymouth!

Altogether a very successful and social morning with a lovely buzz - Brockenhurst MU at it’s best, reaching out to the wider community!

Donate while you buy on the internetDid you know that you can give to Basics Bank while you shop on the internet at no cost to you?

There are 1,000’s of online shops that will pay a donation to New Forest Basics Bank.

Giving a BitIf you have a PC or a Mac you can go to givingabit.com, sign up and download a widget (a small piece of harmless software). Every time you go to a shop that subscribes to this scheme your computer will remind you with a blue banner to click. When you have made a purchase the shop will automatically give Basics Bank a percentage.

If you have a tablet, iPad, etc. you have to go to the givingabit.com web site first, then to the shop; not so easy to remember, but worth it for large purchases.

Have a look at this video: http://givingabitltd.cmail20.com/t/j-l-ujhjhjd-hyudlriuh-p/

Please give money to Basics BankBasics Bank needs money donations constantly to fund the purchase of food and household items.

Please give to us and use GiftAid if you are eligible, (e.g. if you pay tax). To give any amount, pick up one of our fliers and complete the form on it.

Please phone us if you would like to make a regular donation.

Alternatively, you can bring cash or cheque to our office when we are open. You may also give online via our web site www.basicsbank.org.uk

Basics Bank Cabin, Rear of United Reformed Church, High Street, Lymington, Hants. SO41 9AGPhone: 01590-610008. Registered Charity No. 1150170

Email: admin@basicsbank.org.uk | www.basicsbank.org.uk | Open: Tues, Wed, Fri, 10-12noon

THANK YOUWe are so grateful for the generosity of so many, none of our work would be possible without your support.