Shirehampton Methodist Church / JTE Hub: ‘People have dignity’

Case Study: Shirehampton Methodist Church / JTE Hub helping provide food for people in Welcome Spaces

The JTE Hub, based in Shirehampton, runs a welcome space serving the residents of Avonmouth, Shirehampton and Lawrence Weston.

It started as a place to find support for people in the local area around advice for jobs, training and enterprise but has evolved and now provides a wide range of activities, from play sessions for toddlers to a Dungeons and Dragons group, movie nights to craft sessions and more, all free of charge available to anyone in the local area.

'It's just like a community fridge where people can come along and they can have any food', said Darren Moore, JTE Hub Coordinator

'Some people want to talk about why they need food. Some people don't, and that's fair enough. We don't judge. We'll listen if they need us to and from there we can advise them."

Through getting to know people, their needs and ambitions better, the JTE Hub supports people to help themselves longer term, signposting and connecting where they can.

"Little conversations lead to how we can help them, and they're also more inclined to give help back. There's so many people over the last year that I've met that would happily help others because of the help they have received."

Although not every situation is solved, those small conversations have more significant confidence and mental health impacts. 

"It takes an awful lot to cross a threshold to come into the building and to admit that you need some help. We all do at some point in our lives. And it's nice to be in a position where we can help them. There's no judgment. We don't need to know the background. We just want to be there to help them.

'People have dignity. People want to work.'

"The difference it makes to people just coming along, having a cup of tea, meeting other people, meeting people they never normally mean or meeting old friends and they'll spend an hour playing board games or doing crafts, just forgetting their worries. And you know, you can't put that in a report."

BCCF grants help deliver targeted positive impact to critical needs across Bristol. Your donations enable local projects like this one to serve and support local people.

For more information

• visit jtehubshire.org

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