Grass Roots Family CIC

This report covers the financial year from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025. During this period, Grass Roots Family CIC has focused on strengthening collaboration with local voluntary groups and statutory services, expanding volunteer numbers and training, and deepening the quality and reach of our community led support. Our work continues to be shaped by the needs of local residents and delivered in a way that promotes dignity, autonomy, and inclusion. Crisis Support: Crisis support has remained a core part of our offer. We continue to provide a weekly signpost-ing drop in session, supporting individuals and families to access appropriate statutory and voluntary services. This year, we have strengthened collaborative working through regular at-tendance from Citizens Advice and Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees, enabling more targeted, specialist support to be delivered directly within the community. Over the reporting year, we have supported 193 people, offering personalised support that meets individual needs while maintaining dignity and autonomy. Use of our community pantry has increased during this period, while we have retained our “take what you need, give what you can” model, ensuring accessibility and reducing stigma. Community Lunch: Our Warm Welcome initiative has continued and evolved into a weekly community lunch. This provides a welcoming warm space in colder months, and a cool, accessible space during warmer weather, where people can gather, connect, and feel part of their community. We offer a nutritious lunch prepared by volunteers, further supporting wellbeing, reducing isolation, and creating informal opportunities for engagement and conversation. Active Sowerby: Our fitness and wellbeing provision has developed into Active Sowerby, supported by further funding from Active Calderdale to expand this offer and encourage more people to move more, in ways that are appropriate and accessible. We continue to remove barriers to physical activi-ty through gentle, inclusive approaches. A gentle exercise session now takes place as part of each community lunch, and we will be recruiting an Active Champion to help motivate and en-courage participation alongside this activity. Two volunteers have now received walk leader training and we have a monthly community walk and gentle ‘Tuesday Trundle’ that we offer in collaboration with the social prescribers from Calder & Ryburn Primary Care Network; this collaborative approach is proving beneficial for people who need a less formal approach to inclusion and accessing social support. We also got a group of 20+ residents, businesses and volunteers together to tidy up the area in front of the local shops this summer. We redid the planters using plants grown by our fledgling gardening group and cleaned, weeded and tidied alongside members of Litter Free SB; a fab-ulous day with good results and improved focus on pride in our community. Volunteers: Volunteer development has been a key focus this year. We have increased volunteer numbers and registered as a food business, enabling volunteers to take on more responsibility within our community lunch provision. Volunteers are involved in planning, preparing, and serving meals and have accessed accredited food hygiene and first aid training. These opportunities support confidence building and employability. We are proud to include learning disabled adults within our volunteer team and to provide secondary school work experience placements, offering meaningful, supportive environments where individuals can develop skills and experience. Targeted Support: This year, we have introduced and developed more targeted support offers. Our menopause group meets monthly, providing peer support, shared resources, and a safe space for discus-sion, and has been well attended. We have also delivered SEND support for families, using a themed approach each month. These sessions provide peer support, information sharing, and signposting, with attendance from Grass Roots pre school SENCO to offer additional guidance. Families are supported to explore options, share experiences, and offload concerns, with positive suggestions and ad-vocacy provided where needed. Future Direction: Looking ahead, we will continue to build on our collaborative approach, strengthen volunteer pathways, and respond flexibly to emerging community needs. Our aim remains to reduce ine-qualities, support healthier lives, facilitate connection, and reduce isolation through prevention focused, community led activity.