A time to shine

By Clare Skivington

Community Support Manager, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust

"One of Gloucestershire Gateway Trust’s strengths is our amazing community partners who work in creative and inspirational ways to support their local neighbourhoods, connecting people up and giving areas a unique sense of community identity.

The work they do is bottom up, listening to what people want and coming up with solutions to support households.  When I first started in my role, I was struck by their boundless energy and thinking outside the box to make things happen to support people. From children’s activities, exercise classes, art courses, inspiring woodworking sheds, events on Robinswood Hill to more practical help such as job clubs, financial advice and wellbeing, nothing ever phases them.

Many of them are not well known outside their own areas but deserve to be recognised and be a shining beacon for everyone to be proud of.  With our unique partnership with Westmorland, there was an opportunity to bring them to the forefront of people’s minds, through our dedicated colleagues, our customers, our suppliers and of course through other community organisations. It was because of this that 'Time to Shine' was created.

GL Communities brought a shark into Gloucester Services to talk to customer and colleagues about the dangers of loansharks, and let people know about their free money advice service

Before the pandemic, it gave our customers and colleagues from Gloucester Services a chance to meet the people behind our Community Partners, and an opportunity to get hands on and try some of the fantastic things they do, from making wildflower seed bombs with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and helping with the beehives on site to making robots from scrap materials and playing table tennis and hopscotch with Play Gloucestershire, through to planting herbs and crafting. GL Communities even brought a shark with them to talk to colleagues and customers about loansharks and their free money advice service.

Nicky from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust making wild seed bombs with Gloucester Services colleagues in 2019

Play Gloucestershire brought so much fun to customers and colleagues at Gloucester Services including making scrap animals and robots, table tennis competitions, craft packs and hopscotch in 2019

“Being able to meet and talk to colleagues and customers at Gloucester Services made it so much easier for people to understand what APT in Stonehouse is all about and what we provide for our community” Jacky, All Pulling Together

Gloucester Services colleagues tried their hand at making window boxes with Jon who runs the woodwork shop at Fair Shares Community Time Banks

A finished window box created by a Gloucester Services colleague with the help of Fair Shares Community Time Banks

This year our community partner’s have worked so hard in supporting their own communities with food, recipe bags and craft bags as well as support with wellbeing.  Our colleagues have been a big part of this too, giving their time to volunteer and put packs and materials together from their own homes.  Bringing together people’s strengths is what strong communities are all about.

We need to celebrate our community partners more than ever. Their resilience, determination and strength are a credit to them all.  This year, 'Time to Shine' will have to be done a little differently, but we hope just as fun and worthwhile.  Each month from March this year we hope to feature a different GGT Partner, we hope you will read their stories and get to know them and maybe feel inspired to get involved."

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You can also find out more about our community partners by visiting their dedicated pages on our website.