Making a difference... Supporting Heart of BS13

Jacob Ayre is the Community and Citizenship Officer at Wesleyan. Check out what Jacob got up to when visiting Heart of BS13, a Bristol-based charity, in his latest blog.

Heart of BS13 received funding from Wesleyan Foundation in to increase staff numbers and programmes in 2021.

In July 2022, I visited Heart of BS13, located in Hartcliffe (Bristol), to find out more about what the charity had been up to. The organisation helps to reduce inequalities for those living in Hartcliffe, which is in the top 10% of places in poverty in the UK. During my visit I met with Jodie Smith, Food Security Lead at the Heart of BS13, who kindly took me on a tour of their facilities and updated me on their progress.

I was fortunate enough to learn about the various projects Heart of BS13 provide for it’s community. One of the most significant services BS13 provides is free gourmet ready meals for families and members of the community, through their the commercial enterprise kitchen. The gourmet free meals are funded by the same meals being sold in high-end food shops across Bristol. For every 1 meal purchased in the shop, 2 meals are provided to the community. Jodie also told me how they grow and sell vegetables at affordable prices for the community, as well as working with various bakers and butchers to produce cheap, but healthy, budget-friendly meats and breads. Hartcliffe has few low-cost supermarkets and shops, so BS13 provides a real option to help individuals who are living in food poverty.

Heart of BS13 tries to be as sustainable and self-sufficient as possible, but they still require funding to run additional projects which will help to make a difference in their communities. The Wesleyan Foundation funded a pilot for their ‘Slow Cooker Project’, which supported 10 families (16 adults and 21 Children) to learn how to cook good quality food in an energy and budget effective way by using a slow cooker. The 10 families were identified as being in particular need of support following a COVID-19 food crisis project. All 10 families were given a slow cooker to keep and were provided with a 6 week course to learn a variety of recipes and cooking tips. The families also had a ‘whatsapp’ group so they could share what they had been cooking and learn from one another. Not only did the participants save money and time, but they also had an opportunity to cook with their children and eat more vegetables. With the cost of living continuing to rise, Heart of BS13 are now organising 2 additional cohorts of families to be involved. By the end of 2022, the charity hoped to have assisted 30 families through their 'Slow Cooker Project'.

At the end of my visit I came away feeling so impressed with the difference Heart of BS13 is making to Hartcliffe, and I look forward to seeing how they grow in the future.

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