August 2025



In this month's issue, you can hear about our forthcoming Kintsugi Wellbeing Course and a fantastic concert event by the Carlton Male Voice Choir. We are also appealing for allotment, gardening and data entry volunteers, and sharing our food bank data over the last 12 months as well as an update on the opening of our new St Ann's food bank.

It's good to talk...

Dear Supporter,

There's a saying that "A problem shared is a problem halved". Whilst we can't necessarily solve the problems our guests face, we understand how important it is for them to be able to share their experiences, talk about what they are going through, feel valued and listened to.

Across our food banks, our fantastic team of volunteers provide a warm welcome, cups of tea and a listening ear to hundreds of guests each week. We hear many stories that are hard to listen to. But we also hear stories of hope and resilience that remind us of the lesser-known second part of the saying: "A joy shared is a joy doubled".

Thank you for your continued support as we look to bring Hope to those in need across Nottingham.

“To be heard is a human need.

To listen

is where compassion begins”

Ronnie E. Baticulon

Kintsugi at Carlton

As a Christian charity, we are excited to be running our first Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Group on Monday mornings at our Carlton Community Hub. Named after the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, the Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Group is a 12-session long programme open to all (of any faith or none). It is designed to help participants accept themselves, understand their value and worth, and grow towards a more resilient and hopeful future.

The group starts on Monday 22nd September. Numbers are limited, so participants will need to book a place in advance. Please see below for more information.

You can register your interest in signing up for the group here.

A date for your diary!

We are always grateful when local groups fundraise on our behalf and we are delighted that our friends at the excellent Carlton Male Voice Choir have chosen to support us at their upcoming November concert. it promises to be a fantastic afternoon's entertainment. You can book your tickets using the QR code below or clicking here.

Our food banks - the last 12 months...

Hope Nottingham share Trussell's vision of a UK without the need for foodbanks. However, like Trussell, we acknowledge the great need that exists for people trying to make ends meet when experiencing periods of crisis in their lives - frequently made worse by rising food, fuel and housing costs.

Our network of foodbanks across Nottingham provide emergency food parcel support for those in our communities who are really struggling. Foodbank guests are referred via one of our referral agencies - professional, community-based services who are best placed to assess guests' financial situations and work with them to offer additional support.

Last year's statistics paint a mixed picture. Like Trussell, we have seen a slight decrease in food parcel referrals overall, however, the level of need remains very high. Nearly 9,000 food vouchers were fulfilled by our volunteers in the 12 months to June 2025 - equating to over 180,000 meals provided, over a third of which were to feed children.

We have also seen a 15% decrease in food donations: nearly 20,000 kg less than the previous 12 months (which was itself 30,000 kg down on the year before, totalling a 29.6% decrease over the last 2 years!)

Our need for donations of food remains high, so please continue to donate when you shop to our permanent collection points or direct to our food banks. But we also would like to encourage financial donations for food, which helps us buy the things we most need, when we need them.

Our data also hints at a wider cross-section of people having to resort to using food banks. Of the nearly 4,000 households that visited our foodbanks over this 12 month period, 66% hadn't used a foodbank previously. This reinforces what we hear from our guests day-to-day: that many people who have never previously struggled, have found themselves in periods of crisis.

More encouragingly, data tells us the majority of our food bank users access emergency food parcel support very infrequently. Nearly 60% of our food bank guests only attended our food banks once over the year.

Whilst we do see some guests who require support for long-term, complex situations, the average number of foodbank visits per household is low at just 2.26. This is partly due to having a robust referral system in place to avoid dependency, but also ensuring guest's situations are carefully assessed, and also a result of our approach to signposting guests to professional advice and support to help address the causes of their crisis.

Alongside Trussell, we are committed to continuing our model of providing emergency food provision by working with referrers who understand a guest's circumstances, alongside providing access and signposting to high quality advice provision at our foodbanks.

Together, with your continued support, we will keep working towards a future where no-one has to resort to using foodbanks.

View from a volunteer

This month we hear from Deepika who volunteers at our Sneinton Foodbank based at the Salvation Army's William Booth Memorial Complex.

How long have you been volunteering with Hope Nottingham?

"I have been volunteering at the Salvation Army food bank with Hope since November 2024. It is such a worthy experience for me". 

What roles do you volunteer in?

"I volunteer as a foodbank assistant, I write the dates on the tins, refill the stock on the shelves, pack the parcels and serve tea and coffee to the guests with other volunteers"

What do you enjoy about volunteering?

"Being a volunteer means I can interact with different people as I am a multilingual person. As well as that, I have been through similar kinds of situations, so, I try to comfort the guests with common language as well. They come with low mood and lack of confidence especially on their first visits and some can't speak English. Our experienced volunteers help them, but if they are speaking the same language as mine, then I try to help them with my knowledge and skills. It gives me peace and helps me in fulfilling my aim to inspire people".

Deepika is a keen poet and has written the following poem about the importance of finding time to talk - an important part of what happens at all our foodbanks...

Time to talk 

You are feeling this lovely life ugly.

You are feeling your screaming soul.

Everything around you is scary.

Trust me, it's not you at foul.

Looking at mirror you feel alien.

When someone talking, you want to growl.

You are tearing with failure.

Trust me, it's time not to drown.

Black is only that hard bit.

World is not that can't lit.

Let me help you to bring your cry.

Because it's not right for yourself to fry 

Get up and gather your hidden courage.

Don't find anything else to walk.

It's only you and you can have heroic image.

Because it's the only right time to TALK!!

Many thanks to Deepika, the rest of the team at Sneinton Foodbank and all our volunteers for giving all our guests compassion, care and time to talk.

St Ann with Emmanuel - countdown to opening day!

We are really excited to be working with St Ann with Emmanuel Church in St Ann's to open a food bank and community café session on Wednesday mornings.

Beginning on Wednesday 24th September, the new location will support local people in St Ann's who currently have to travel to access their nearest Trussell foodbank. We are looking forward to working with the church, the local community and local organisations such as St Ann's Advice Centre to further support people in St Ann's and the wider area.

Join our volunteer team...

We couldn't do the work we do without the dedicated effort of hundreds of volunteers. We are currently particularly looking for:

To enquire about any of our volunteer vacancies, please email us.

Our volunteer vacancies change regularly so for further details of these and other current vacancies, please do see our Volunteering webpage.

Final thoughts...

This months reflection comes from Lauren Bailey, Hope Nottingham's Chaplain who reflects on Psalm 40 and how God supports us through change and challenge. You can read her short reflection here.

Hope Nottingham | 0303 040 1110 | www.hope-nottingham.org.uk