A COMMUNITY group is expanding its offer to ensure it can help more people in South Reading.
The Whitley Community Development Association is now open on Saturdays, having previously only operated on weekdays, meaning that residents have access to its array of activities ranging from walk-in health checks and cafe.
Alongside its FoodSEqual project partners at the University of Reading, the WCDA is also launching a new scheme which will see 150 Whitley households given fortnightly £10 vouchers for fruit and vegetables available to collect from the organisation’s Northumberland Avenue home.
The project underwent a soft launch on November 4, and is funded by the UKRI through grants to FoodSEqual Health’s FreshStreet initiative. Earley-based wholesaler CA Belcher and Son will provide the food.
WCDA community development coordinator Trisha Bennett said: “We’re now, very quickly, going to learn how to run a fruit and veg stall, along with everything else.
“It takes place every Saturday and vouchers will be distributed every two weeks. They can save them up for Christmas and use them however they want.
FoodSEqual has conducted similar projects in other parts of the UK, with participants heading to local grocery stores and corner shops to collect fruit and veg. But according to Mrs Bennett, Whitley’s lack of infrastructure has made the community hub’s creation essential.
She added that the WCDA’s desire to tackle social issues facing many Reading residents inspired it to create a programme of activities on Saturdays. With some who are entitled to universal credit unable to make Communicare’s weekday sessions, an adviser from the Citizens Advice Bureau will be available on the first Saturday each month to offer benefits guidance.
Similarly, the Royal Berkshire Hospital’s MEET PEET community outreach team will visit the WCDA – as one of the town’s community wellness outreach hubs – once a month to provide free health checks, in addition to their monthly well-being Wednesdays drop-in sessions.
“It’s a need that’s been identified,” Mrs Bennet explained. “All these activities are making us a one-stop-shop. This is a place where people can come and feel safe and get the support they need. Some people take a while to build their trust, therefore we don’t bombard people and drag them along.”
Mrs Bennett recalled an instance where a gentleman dropped into the community centre to use its daily food surplus project. When asked if he wished to receive a free health check-up, he initially declined due to the fact that he had HIV, but members of the MEET PEET team assured him that he could still get checked.
From the appointment, nurses identified that he had very low blood sugar levels and kitchen staff at the adjoining community cafe prepared a warm breakfast for him. The man now returns regularly.
The cafe will be open from 9am-1pm on Saturdays for residents to enjoy reasonably priced warm meals.
