Non-profit Mamas Bristol receive £10k to help families over the festive period
The community group has been handed the cash from the South-based Sovereign Housing Association thanks to a crowdfunding campaign
Thanks to a local housing association, a non-for-profit group in Bristol has been handed £10,000 to support their work over the festive period - and beyond.
Community-focused Mamas Bristol has been handed the cash thanks to a Crowdfunder campaign set up by the Sovereign Housing Association which will now go towards supporting families across Bradley Stoke survive the cost of living crisis.
It's also said to provide 'festive cheer' to residents over the festive period - with the grant paying for 30 Christmas dinner parcels for the families who need it.
As well as the parcels, thanks to the cash, families have also been handed recipes, budgeting and ‘how to’ tips, as well as a small gift as they try to spread festive joy across the city.
What the £10,000 is going towards
Warm space
As well as the Christmas dinner food parcels, the funding will help Mamas Bristol to increase its ‘Stay and Play’ sessions from once a week to three times a week.
That's vital for families, who will now be able to more regularly enjoy a warm and safe space for children to play, including a sensory den for children with additional needs.
The warm space isn't just for the kids, though, with the warm community spaces also there to help adults, too.
It'll help them by saving them money on heating their houses, thanks to the community spaces being there for them, and means that around 80 families can now get relief from the cost of living more regularly each week.
Community food larder
The grant funding is set to support the Mamas community food larder plans too.
Still in its early stages, the group plans to provide tins, long-life food and dried goods for people to take home and have as a meal.
This will be an ongoing project, with further funding required. Families struggling to eat will be supported with parcels and have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of recipes, ingredients and their costs.
The crowdfunding scheme
The £10,000 has been handed to Mamas through a Crowdfunder - that's a platform for different partners, organisations and charities to work together to help support projects like these.
Sovereign are a not-for-profit, meaning they actively seek to help people and communities, and support projects - like Mamas Bristol - that they think will make the biggest impact on their communities.
The housing association have supported Mamas Bristol in the past, as they help mothers from disadvantaged backgrounds or vulnerable backgrounds that need a space to go to with their children.
During Covid-19, they even set up an online Mamas Swap page on Facebook, so parents in need of items could run a swap shop of things to share with each other in the community.
And with 22% of the population in poverty in the UK, Sovereign saw this as an opportunity to help which they couldn't miss.
Henry Palmer, Community Development Officer at Sovereign Housing, said: "We're the second biggest housing association in the south of England, and this one in Bristol is a part of that work we do to help communities in need.
"For Mamas Bristol, when I got in touch with Kelsey from the group to tell them they'd been awarded the cash, she was over the moon.
"For me, that's wonderful. When I go on break, or my colleagues go on break over the festive period, to be left with positive messages like that from our partners makes us feel really fulfilled in our roles."
Kate Sheppard, Sovereign’s Community Development Officer, said: “Sovereign’s timely action to champion our customers through this cost-of-living crisis has meant we’ve been able to support this fantastic project.
“We have a dedicated webpage with details of the national and local support available for individuals and communities. We’re delighted to be increasing our support at this crucial time and helping those most in need.”
Kelsey Booy, Co-Director of Mamas Bristol, said: “We want to support families who find themselves in need, whatever that need may be. We do not want to see families having to choose between heating or eating and we want to spread the spirit and cheer of Christmas.
“We don't judge ‘need’, we have no criteria and we have an experienced friendly team on hand to assist all.
“The Mamas Bristol Team cannot thank Sovereign enough for what they have done for us and the community. We can confidently go into 2023 knowing we can provide support for another year at the Hub.”
Simon Deverell, Creative Director and Founder at Crowdfunder added: "The cost-of-living crisis is putting a huge strain on communities across the country. Here at Crowdfunder, we are delighted to see good causes like Mamas Bristol get the funding they need to help their community. The extra funding they have received from Sovereign Housing Association will mean that they can support even more people during this incredibly difficult time."
You can find out more about Sovereign's Crowdfunder campaign here.
You can find out more about the Sovereign Housing Association here.
You can find out more about Mamas Bristol here.