Charity delivers one third more food parcels in year with cost of living crisis

A HENLEY charity lost about £25,000 in government support last year despite nearly all of its costs rising.

Nomad, which supports young people and families, received £27,529 in government grants in the year to April 1 compared with £54,395 in the previous 12 months.

However, income from charitable grants and trusts increased from £74,457 to £114,997 and support for the charity’s food bank soared from £5,641 to £18,484.

Nomad, which is based at the d:two centre in Market Place, spent £204,834 in the year compared with £184,198 the year before.

It spent more as demand for the food bank, its help fund and youth activities rose.

The food bank saw a marked increase in referrals, resulting in a 29.4 per cent increase in the number of food parcels being delivered to families and individuals.

In total, 1,898 bags were delivered to 1,426 adults and 718 children.

The figures were revealed at Nomad’s annual meeting, which was attended by trustees, partners and volunteers as well as Mayor Kellie Hinton and David Turner, chairman of South Oxfordshire District Council.

Rev Jeremy Bray, pastor at the Henley Baptist Church, singled out the delivery of nearly 2,000 bags of food.

He said: “There was one student who, through incredibly challenging circumstances over the years, has just managed to pass her degree and that’s much thanks to people in this room who have supported her and the family over many years.

“There are big numbers but also very small, personal numbers and that sums up Nomad.”

Introducing the Mayor, Rev Bray said: “Nomad has had a really long association with the town council and has been really appreciative of its support.” Cllr Hinton said: “There are three things that really impress me about Nomad. The first is the number of people that you help. The fact that it’s a really holistic approach to helping young people and their families, working with parents and children, I think is really important and it’s also really effective.

“The second is the variety of ways in which you help people: things people know about like the food bank and working with young people, but there’s also things that you do such as the life skills courses and getting back into work and the mentoring and things like that, that people perhaps know less about.

“Also the sheer number of organisations that you work with — it’s not just councils that you’re working with, you’re actually the first port of call sometimes for schools, local community groups and charities and businesses.

“You’re working across the town with absolutely everyone and that’s why you’ve managed to achieve more than 4,000 interventions in a year, which is just an incredible number in a town of 11,500 people.

“A town like Henley only thrives because of the community and I really believe that Nomad is the heart of our community.”

Nomad trustee Peter Lloyd explained the accounts.

He said: “For many years the district council provided the backbone of Nomad’s income but that has declined in recent years and has halved in this current year.

“Grants and trusts, fortunately, have increased significantly and combined they actually represent our biggest source of income this year.

“The fees Nomad receives from schools for the mentoring work Nomad undertakes has doubled in the year from £4,000 to £9,000, reflecting the amount of work that Nomad has been able to provide.”

Mr Lloyd explained a £9,000 increase in support costs to £119,157 was due to the employment of another part-time member of staff.

He said: “Looking at food bank costs, we’re very fortunate to have most of our food gifted to us and also we’re supported by a very committed team of volunteers, so an awful lot of that is free.

“The costs are partly the time associated with members of Nomad doing the work and the food that has to be bought.

“The help fund and youth activities are restricted funds given solely for a specific purpose. The help fund pays for white goods for families in serious need including, this year, computers and some school clothing for 10 Ukrainian families.

“Youth activities represent funding for young people who have outings or group holidays which they would not otherwise experience.”

He said that the charity hoped to employ another part-time employee for around £20,000 and increase the safety reserves by £6,000.

Mr Lloyd concluded by predicting that the cost of living crisis would mean Nomad’s services would be more in demand.

He said: “The trustees’ view is that Nomad’s services are going to grow and grow. It has certainly grown this year.

“Looking forward, family budgets are tight. Demand on the food bank continues to grow. Student anxiety and mental problems are increasing. Nomad is getting more requests to help from schools.

“The staff Nomad employs do amazing work. Your money is spent sparingly and wisely.”

Support worker Angela Face spoke about Nomad’s community activities over the past year, including a trek up Mount Snowdon and a community fun day at the YMCA.

She said the charity’s partnership with the John Hodges Trust enabled it to purchase white goods for numerous families and individuals struggling financially.

The help fund had given support to young people and families in a variety of ways, including purchasing an electric hob and utensils for a woman escaping domestic violence who was rehoused in Henley, supporting a foster family with emergency rent arrears and helping someone to visit dentist for the first time in years as they needed a complete set of dentures.

• A £5,000 annual grant for Nomad has been reinstated by Henley Town Council to pay for outreach workers at night.