From left: Alistair Doxat-Purser, Mayor of Blandford Cllr Hugo Mieville, Hayley Britton, Heidi Roberts and Gail Del-Pinto from Nourish

Blandford Foodbank+ re-launches as Nourish after major refurbishment

Paul JonesOctober 6, 20230 Comment0

A VENTURE that started life as a small foodbank has re-opened at refurbished premises as a community hub, larder and cafe.

Since it was founded 11 years ago, the Blandford Food Bank+ has continued to grow.

Now, following a recent refurbishment, it has re-opened under a new name – Nourish – offering more services.

Supported by Dorset charity Faithworks, Nourish was officially launched by the Mayor of Blandford Cllr Hugo Mieville on Tuesday (October 3).

Selected as one of the Mayor’s charities of the year, more than 50 organisations, businesses and church leaders gathered to mark the official launch.

Mayor of Blandford, Cllr Hugo Mieville, officially launches Nourish

Cllr Mieville said: “We should be really proud of Nourish and continue to support it.”

Foodbank manager, Gail Del-Pinto, said: “The Community Larder is for those who are moving on from the immediate crisis of needing a foodbank but simply can’t afford to use high street shops.

“It is a discounted larder with a small membership fee which provides a stepping stone back into shopping ordinarily.”

Gail Del-Pinto, Nourish foodbank manager

Jade was one of the first members of the Nourish Community Larder and has found it has changed much more than just the family meals.

She registered as a member when she was finding her regular food shop was becoming too much and she was having to go without fresh produce.

One week, she brought her 13-year-old daughter with her and found she was picking up lots of fresh fruit and vegetables that she would not normally eat.

Jade’s daughter is a keen dancer, while her son loves swimming, so access to fresh, nutritious food is even more essential.

Hayley, who helped establish the Larder, with Jade at the official launch

Coming to the larder enables the whole family to have the healthy diet needed for young, active lives, she said.

And she has now become an invaluable part of the Nourish team through volunteering, while also receiving support from the team with writing her CV and applying for jobs.

Meanwhile, the new, larger café area at Nourish provides a relaxed environment for local community to drop in for a hot drink and chat with one of the team of volunteers.

It also provides space for organisations to provide information and support in an informal environment.

Among them is Victim Support, which was invited to promote their services at the foodbank two years ago.

Denize Flynn, volunteer and community engagement officer, said: “The vision of creating a holistic approach to Nourish service users has been achieved and it is humbling to be a small part of that.