Skills Hub adds to Lillington Pantry offer

"As we build up a full picture of what kind of support people are looking for, we will work with our partners to offer skills and training through group sessions, workshops and events."

The Lillington Community Pantry has teamed up with Warwickshire Skills Hub to offer a broad range of skills, training and recruitment opportunities to its customers. 

Community Pantries aim to provide medium to long-term solutions to help individuals and families who are face food insecurity. They also assist people to engage with services that resolve the underlying causes of their individual situations. 

The Lillington Community Pantry, a collaborative project between Feed The Hungry UK and Warwickshire County Council, has now expanded and strengthened its offer to its customers by adding input from Warwickshire Skills Hub. 

Starting with initial information sessions, customers have been invited to chat to specialist advisors from the Skills Hub who offer advice on everything from short training courses, apprenticeships, and distance learning courses through to finding a job, interview support & CV writing. 

Heather Docksey, Business Support Skills Advisor at Warwickshire Skills Hub, said: "As part of our Fair Chance Employment Programme we wanted to look at how we could actively support those people who may be struggling to access skills and training, so we started with a casual information drop-in where customers could stop for a chat after they'd done their shopping to find out what was available.  

“We will hold these sessions every couple of months and, as we build up a full picture of what kind of support people are looking for, we will work with our partners to offer skills and training through group sessions, workshops and events." 

Pantry Supervisor, Chloe Scanlan is keen to build on the relationship with the Skills Hub as she believes the support on offer could positively improve the lives of their customers.  

"Many people who shop with us have lots of additional life challenges which can severely impact their confidence when looking for a job,” said Chloe. “We hope that by supporting people to train and reskill they can actively help themselves out of food poverty and have a better quality of life. 

"With a team of over 30 volunteers, we ensure that all our customers are supported as they shop to encourage healthy food choices, but the pantry is always looking for more support. Christmas is a challenging time for many of the families we support. For many of our members, family breakdown, social isolation, bereavement and, of course, financial pressures  often take over at this time of year; removing the joy and excitement many feel. Here at the pantry, we want to try and alleviate some of the pressure this year and we are hoping that local businesses will want to get involved. 

“This year, we want to provide 150 Christmas hampers for families in Leamington and Warwick facing food poverty, however to do this, we need your support. On average, we support between 120 and 130 families a week with food. We know that with the rising cost of living and the colder months, this is likely to increase. 

“We would be so grateful if you can consider supporting us this Christmas. We are in need of donations of Christmas food, financial donations or any other creative way to support families this festive period. We would also love to invite you to be part of the process, if you would like; we need help packing and distributing them, so if you would like to be involved please contact lillington@thecommunitypantry.org.uk. 

“We also welcome corporate volunteer days with opportunities for team building activities. Lillington Community Pantry is a lifeline for many in Leamington and Warwick and with your help, we want to make life that little bit easier for families this Christmas.”