Bassetlaw Food Bank receives £190,000 National Lottery funding to secure lease on premises

Bassetlaw Food Bank was awarded a cheque of £198,968 from the National Lottery Community Fund - just as volunteers deal with record breaking demand over the Easter holidays.

The funding has allowed Bassetlaw Food Bank to take over the CSL Community Centre’s lease for three years, making the centre off Shrewsbury Road in Manton their official base.

The financial support will also see the food bank employ three new members of staff to their team of three and expand the Fruit & Veg Box Scheme which is currently at full capacity.

Speaking at the sign unveiling on Tuesday, district councillor Kevin Dukes, chair of the trustees for Bassetlaw Food Bank, described it as ‘momentous’ for the community organisation.

He said: “We moved in here at the start of the pandemic to create a food hub for Bassetlaw, and one of the benefits of the pandemic has been to see this place grow.

“With the help of the fantastic volunteers we have, and our permanent staff who are working really, really hard to develop the model that we have here, we have gone from strength to strength.

“I'd like to say thank you very much to the National Lottery Community Fund for their support in enabling us to start the next level of support for food distribution through a food bank in Bassetlaw.

“This money will go a great way for us to manage this building to make sure that this building is fit for purpose.

"It will enable us to make it more welcoming, and it will give us the opportunity to do things that the community needs locally.”

Coun Dukes also thanked the public of Bassetlaw, local supermarkets, and Fran Walker, the former chair of the CSL board for all the work she has done for CSL prior to the pandemic, and also over the last two years for getting the food bank to where it is now.

The food bank is run with the help of 60 active volunteers who without them would leave so many households without any food security.

It also runs a number of other services from a weekly social eating project, a shop in Retford, a stall at Retford market, and many others.

Coun Tony Eaton, Worksop town mayor and long time volunteer, unveiled the new Community Hub sign at the centre.

He said: “I know all the volunteers and people in here have made a difference to people's lives in Bassetlaw.

“It's humbling, it's quite sad, but Bassetlaw has come out of the woodwork to do what they should do, will do and continue to do to support the vulnerable people of Bassetlaw.

“I would like to say a massive, massive thank you from me, and my wife, and everybody, all the volunteers, the staff, and especially all people of Bassetlaw for what you've done.

“You have literally saved lives, there's no other way around it.”

Jessica Myers from the National Lottery Community Fund said: “I am so thrilled to be able to present this cheque on behalf of all the people who play the National Lottery, who make it possible for us to make these grants.”

To find out how you can support your food bank, visit: https://bassetlawfoodbank.org/

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