Residents across the West of England are being invited to help name a landmark new food and essentials distribution hub that will support families and communities across the region.
The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and Bristol Charities are asking local people to submit their ideas for what the new hub should be called, with suggestionsnow open through an online form.
All suggestions will be presented to a judging panel made up of a team from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and Bristol Charities.
The call-out comes after the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority formally confirmed £2 million of match funding for the nationally-unique project at its meeting on Friday, marking a major milestone in plans to createa regionalcentre for storing, coordinating and redistributing food and essential household items.
The new hub is being developed as part of wider efforts to tackle poverty and reduce waste across the region. Around 67,000 children are currently growing up in poverty across the West of England, while charities and communityorganisations are facing rising demand for support and increasing pressure on space and resources. The project builds on the West of England’s landmarkChild Poverty Action Plan, launched at the end of last year, which set out a shared regional commitment to ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.
Once operational, the hub will bring together surplus food, toiletries, clothing, bedding, furniture, white goods, technology and school supplies that might otherwise go to waste. It will provide a central location where these items can be stored, sorted andredistributed through charities and community organisations across the region, helping support more families while reducing the amount of usable goods sent to landfill.
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:
“Right now, around 67,000 children across our region are growing up in poverty. We cannot accept that, and we will not stand by while people struggle to afford the essentials they need. That’s why tackling child poverty is one of my top priorities, and whywe launched the West of England’s first Child Poverty Action Plan. This new hub is exactly the kind of practical action we need – turning surplus food and household essentials into support for families, helping charities reach more people, and reducing wasteat the same time.
“We want local people to help shape the future of this exciting project by suggesting a name. This hub belongs to communities across the West of England, so it’s only right that residents have the chance to leave their mark on it.”
Developed in partnership with Bristol Charities and FareShare South West, the hub is expected to be one of the first facilities of its kind in the country to combine food and non-food redistribution under one roof. Plans also include opportunities for residentsto gain skills development, training, work experience and employment support through the hub.
Julian Mines, CEO of Bristol Charities, said:
“This hub represents a major step forward in how we work together to tackle poverty across the West of England. Every day, charities and community organisations are seeing rising demand from families who are struggling with the cost of essentials, whileat the same time huge amounts of perfectly usable food and household items go to waste. By bringing partners together under one roof, we can create a stronger, more coordinated system of support that reaches more people, reduces waste, and helps communitiesthrive.
“We’re proud to be working alongside the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and FareShare South West on a project that combines practical action with long-term ambition. Inviting local people to help name the hub is an important reminder that thisis a shared regional effort, built with and for the communities it will serve.”
In January, anti-poverty campaigner and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:
“Mayor Helen Godwin’s ambition to bring together all the powers and ingenuity available in the West of England to tackle child poverty is inspiring. Helen deserves widespread support for her leadership, and compassion towards the children in her region,as she introduces these very welcome, new policies and new methods of cooperation to combat child poverty.”
Leaders from Bristol City, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire Councils, Tony Dyer, Kevin Guy, Mike Bell, Maggie Tyrrell and Ian Boulton, said in a joint statement:
“Too many families across our region are facing real pressures, and local charities are seeing increasing demand for support. This is an important investment in the infrastructure that supports communities in every part of the West of England.
“Bringing together local government, charities and community organisations around a shared regional hub will help create a stronger, more resilient network of support for residents while reducing unnecessary waste. We’re proud to be backing a project thathas the potential to become a national example of what partnership working can achieve.”
Residents can submit their suggestionsthrough the online form, with the winning name helping to shape the identity of a project designed to support thousands of people across the West of England.
The winning name will be chosen by the judging panel and announced in due course.
