SURREY CCC have partnered with Kennington charity The Black Prince Trust, pledging £15,000 to support the Food Programme run on site to support local families.
Supported by The Felix Project, the programme sees surplus food from shops, restaurants and delivery hubs around London donated twice weekly to Black Prince Trust (BPT), who then distribute to those who are most in need around the Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall area.
The Club’s contribution will allow for the programme to expand operations with the conversion of a space on site and the purchase of additional storage to enable BPT to receive other household goods, and will also assist BPT in employing staff to run the twice weekly distribution sessions. Surrey CCC staff will also be volunteering at the programme, helping BPT staff to sort, prepare and distribute the donations each week.
An average of around 1,000-1,200kg of surplus food is delivered to the site every week by The Felix Project, the equivalent of providing between 1,920 and 2,880 meals, or enough to feed 290 families for a single day. BPT staff then sort and redistribute everything donated to the local community through their openly accessible food programme and, on occasion, also offering extra deliveries across the borough.
There are also specific occasions where extra support is required and the partnership between The Felix Project and BPT can step up.
During the 2023 summer break, an extra 18,500kg of food was donated to support families through the holidays, as well as surplus school uniforms that ensured young people were correctly kitted out for the return to school. Through the partnership with Felix Project, BPT often receive additional packages from Felix project partners, for instance re-usable Amazon drawstring bags with food produce and socks and Go Fresh ingredient and recipe bags which were received and distributed over October half-term.
On Christmas Eve last year, The Felix Project delivered leftovers from top London department stores Fortnum and Mason and Daylesford Organic, with BPT staff volunteering their time alongside Felix Project ambassadors actor David Morrissey and chef Melissa Hemsley to ensure the food did not go to waste and local families had their Christmas brightened.
Outside of the Food Programme, The Black Prince Trust run a wide range of sporting activities for the local community, including football, boxing, basketball, a community gym, holiday programmes and a varied programme specifically aimed at over 55s. Community provision by BPT and its partners, comprising more than 70 free sessions per week, use sport to deliver social impact outcomes around equality, diversity and inclusion; health and wellbeing; and education and training.
There is also a community café on site, run by Share Community, a charity that provides specialist programmes and activities for adults with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs.
Last year saw over 3,000 unique participants across the Black Prince Trust site, across all age ranges, genders and the hugely diverse ethnic mix in Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall.
Richard Joyce, CEO of The Black Prince Trust said: “Our food programme, developed over the last 3 years in partnership with The Felix Project, has been a hugely significant addition to our community provision. Unfortunately many people within our community have and continue to struggle with the cost of living, and being able to support with fresh and nutritious food and household essentials twice per week while saving food from waste in the process is just one of many different ways we aim to support people at The Black Prince Trust Community Hub.
“We are very fortunate to receive so much food to distribute, and the support from Surrey CCC allowing us to effectively repurpose space, create additional storage, and meet the costs of resourcing our programme provides a huge boost to help us provide the best possible service to our community.”
Jon Surtees, Head of Community, Public Affairs and Projects at Surrey CCC, added: “The Black Prince Trust is a superb local organisation, offering vital help to those that need it most in Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall.
“Surrey CCC is determined to play an active and positive role in our local community, being the best neighbour we can be and helping to lift and support those who are already engaged and are doing brilliant work in supporting local people.”
