Prosper met a couple of the wonderful volunteers, Dorne and Val, who run Bag Fairies, a volunteer run organisation that supplies clothing, bedding, toiletries and small household goods for people in need. They also donate other things to more appropriate organisations such as baby milk etc.
We also met Paul from Oasis Christian Centre who works in partnership with the Bag Fairies.
The ethos of the Bag Fairies is to help anyone, no questions asked. During my visit they had a couple of visits from people who turned up looking for help. They were also working through a list and getting parcels together for referrals they had received from other organisations. It is usually busier with walk-in’s, but they have recently moved sites and need to build up traction again.
The new site is bigger, healthier and more user friendly than their previous site and they were able to take some of their shelving, but they really need some new, sturdy stand-alone shelving for storage. The bag Fairies are open Monday to Friday (except bank holiday’s)
Prosper awarded a joint grant to Oasis and Bag Fairies to improve the equipment for providing sealed food stuffs. This is not a food bank service but fills a gap. Better storage equipment makes it easier to collect, store & distribute items to individuals & families in need. They can be assisting up to 30 families a week. Not necessarily the same families every week but as need arises.
One issue raised by Paul and Dorne was the lack of a framework in the southeast of the district, where they operate. There are fewer charities and not many volunteers and it is hard to drive some of the social issues and maintain some essential continuity in the VCSE.
To find out more about Bag Fairies, please visit their Facebook page: Click here
Email: thebagfairies9@gmail.com
or call: 07513 297773