Paganhill Community Group CIC

The objectives of the Company are to carry out activities which benefit the community and in particular (without limitation) to improve and develop community cohesion across the Paganhill area and reduce the impact of poverty, isolation and loneliness. The Octagon We currently license the building whilst talking with the Baptist Church owners about a longer lease with the Right to Buy. There is a Covenant in place and PCG is working with Stroud District Council properties and members of the Baptist Church to address this. It is proving to be a slow process and a concern to PCG and the community members using the building. There is no other building in this area suitable and no other facility for use by the community. PCG is able to operate because volunteers offer their time and expertise to help run the projects at the Octagon. Volunteers oer 150-200 hours per week. Staff time is 45 hours and is mainly office based keeping the business side of PCG operational. We outsource some of our business needs, such as bookkeeping and wages. In October 2024 we signed up with Citation so that we have access to their HR and Health and Safety. Whilst this is an expense it is proving to be an important part of keeping our community safe in an area where antisocial behaviour is again on the rise. Mental health and poverty is a concern and we work closely with our community police, who will do welfare checks when needed. Volunteers Volunteers are not always a permanent fixture, some are only with us for a season. We do, however, have a strong dedicated team who keep the hub running smoothly. In 2024 we have recruited 37 volunteers of which a core group of 6 regularly volunteer and the remainder either have moved on or work with us on a more casual basis. We also have long term volunteers who remain dedicated and supportive. Sta and volunteer wellbeing is important to us, hosting events such as a volunteer awards ceremony and card game afternoon. The Community Lead takes volunteers out for a cuppa and a one on one to support with their volunteering and to offer extra support with anything happening within PCG or outside of PCG. A majority of our volunteers suffer with a physical or mental health problem and several are in recovery from addictions. This can create periods of unrest but all of our volunteers have shown a commitment to their personal development as well as to volunteering. In most cases, volunteering has shown to have a positive effect on volunteers' wellbeing. Staffing In April 2024 we hired a Community Lead on 30 hours per week with the aim of ensuring the day to day management of the Hub ran smoothly. ● Volunteer management, training, recruitment and support ● HR and Health and Safety management ● Networking and building/strengthening relationships with the community and outside agencies ● Keeping track of finances and small budgets ● Paying invoices and liaising with the treasurer and book keepers for payroll ● Safeguarding lead In April 2024, we increased our staffing by taking on a cleaner/housekeeper. Unfortunately this only lasted a few weeks due to issues with reliability. We have since out sourced our cleaning to Done and Dusted. Jasmin started in June as our Office Coordinator and has taken responsibility for being the first point of contact via email and phone, organising and keeping on top of hall bookings (and key holders) , reconciling bank statements and creating marketing materials. Jasmin really shines when working on team projects such as the Christmas Tree Festival. Directors Secretary PCG has 6 Directors, one new Director in this year has agreed to be the Secretary. She quotes ‘Becoming a Director and learning about the organisation and the great things PCG does has been a good way to meet and understand the community I live in.’ Chair The chairperson and founder of our group has been a key part of the organisation and has been taking a step back since the new Community lead has been employed. She says that ‘ the aims of the organisation in working with Asset based community development is a fundamental part of running a busy community hub, making it welcoming and friendly; something that our members and visitors often remark positively on.’ Treasurer Our treasurer has been an important part of PCG and continues as treasurer but stepped back as a Director due to other work commitments. Directors are involved in various roles like health and safety, safeguarding, supervision of staff and generally supporting the day to day work of a busy hub: Meeting once a month with any volunteers and staff who wish to attend a Director meeting. The meeting is held in two parts so that volunteers and staff can attend the first part. Cafe The cafe still runs every Wednesday from 1-4.30 and hosts outside agencies. In 2024 we hosted ● P3 ● Citizens Advice ● Stroud District Council Housing ● Healthwatch Gloucestershire ● SARC ● Community Police ● BBC Radio Gloucestershire ● Excemplar Health Care ● Barnardos ● Severn Wye ● Stroud District Food Bank ● Re Think ● The Long Table We average 200-300 visitors to the cafe a month. They come from all walks of life with a high percentage of older people (60+), people in addiction and recovery and families with small children. Many come to access the additional support offered by visiting agencies whilst others come to socialise. A majority of visitors enjoy a hot meal on a Pay as you can basis. Many in our area are in Food Poverty and donations rarely cover costs. We apply for funding to cover costs as well as benefit from Fareshare Go and Neighbourly end of line Supermarket Food. We are funded to employ a Food Coordinator who also provided extra food from donated sources. We offer a selection of toasted sandwiches, jacket potatoes and meals sourced from local business Mumma’s Meals. This was agreed as a temporary measure until a cook could be found. On providing these meals, Naina of Mumma’s Meals says “ It is an honour and privilege to provide our homemade, nutritious food to Paganhill Community Group. The staff and volunteers keep us updated on which dishes work well and we welcome suggestions for new dishes. For the colder weather. We have been making puddings which seem to be very well received.” Additionally a local volunteer runs an afternoon art and craft session that any age may like to participate in. A new addition to our cafe this year has been a tuck shop. This is run by volunteers and offers sweets and treats at low prices. This has been very popular with our younger customers. The cafe runs on a pay as you can basis and the average customer spend is 73p per meal. The difference between income and expenditure is covered by grant funding. Food Hub We run two food hub sessions each week: one on Wednesdays alongside our café, and another standalone session on Fridays. We provide fresh food sourced from local supermarkets through Neighbourly and Fareshare, along with weekly deliveries from Fareshare’s warehouse. Additionally, we top up supplies with long-life staples ordered online. Our weekly expenditure on food and toiletries is around £200. Attendance varies, but on average, we see over 100 visitors each Friday per month. Volunteers have noted a steady rise in numbers over the previous year, We have outside agencies attending the Friday food hub. This year we welcomed ● SARC ● Gloucestershire Healthwatch ● Stroud Valley Project ● NHS outreach ● Longfield Hospice Healthwatch, Glos Feedback -’ Thank you to the team at Paganhill centre for providing a welcoming environment for our organisation to visit. We would also like to thank you for supporting our project work throughout the year. Your support has been crucial in helping us amplify the voices of the community.’ Bingo Bingo has historically been run by a long term volunteer. He has had to step back temporarily due to poor health and this has meant that other volunteers are sharing the role in order to keep it going. A majority of visitors to bingo are over 60yrs with a small number of 20-50 year olds. Books are £1 each and there are a variety of prizes available. Food and drink is offered on a pay as you can basis and consists of hot drinks, cakes, biscuits and a light lunch. This also provides a warm space in winter. Saturday Socials In order to avoid volunteer burnout, Saturday Socials have stopped running since July. Between January and July we had 393 attend Saturday Socials and enjoy a variety of activities from table top sales to a ceildah. We hope that we are able to return to running these sessions again in 2025. The Friendly Fox We were approached by Becky and she started sessions in February. She had a range of soft play equipment and in exchange for free use of the hall she reduced the price of entry and gave away 3 free family spaces every week Becky finished these sessions in July to have a new baby. 125 people (including children) attended these sessions every month on average. Garden The garden has been run by a group of people interested in permaculture for the last 4 years. However one by one they have moved on to work or other things and the garden is in much need of TLC. Conversations have started with another volunteer gardener to start work in the early spring of 2025. Workshop The Workshop project stalled when the lead on the project became very ill. Plans are underway to have electric installed and to get the inside insulated and hopefully will get underway later in 2025. School Holidays Support During school holidays, we offer various support for families. Breakfast Club runs on Mondays, providing pay-as-you-can toast, cereal, pastries, and occasionally pancakes or bacon rolls, alongside craft activities and Lego. At Easter, we gave 16 families Lego or Duplo sets and other activities. In the summer, we offered larger packs with Lego, Duplo, puzzles, colouring books, and outdoor toys to help low-income families entertain their children. We hosted an Easter party with an egg hunt and crafts, a painting party in May, and a pizza party using our pizza oven in summer. In October, we held a Pumpkin Party with carving, crafts, and pumpkin soup. The Christmas holidays featured a party with carol singing, Father Christmas, and Fennel’s Alpacas. Feedback from a Mum who bought her son to see the alpacas said that her son stays in his room, goes to school but does not otherwise go out. He insisted on coming to see the alpacas and so enjoyed himself that he decided to come and volunteer during a Wednesday cafe. This has been a good step forward for him. The Chase at Stroud College In January, we were pleased to welcome students from The Chase at Stroud College, which supports young adults with high support needs. We have two groups of volunteers. The first group, studying hospitality and catering, volunteers with us as part of their work experience. We celebrated the graduation of the first cohort in July and welcomed a new group in November. These students contribute both in the kitchen and on front of house. The second group, studying life skills, joins us on Friday mornings to volunteer. They assist with the food hub, basic admin tasks, and gardening. Vicky French from the college says ‘ I just wanted to send you a massive thank you email. The Catering and Hospitality group very much enjoyed their work experience at The Paganhill Community Cafe. The skills and knowledge they have gained have been invaluable and this was certainly made possible because of the wonderfully inclusive and special environment. All of the volunteers and staff are amazing and I can't thank you enough for working in partnership with The Chase to offer our students this opportunity and placement.’ The students and staff organised a sponsored walk in May and raised funds for our garden with the hope that we can create a more accessible space. In December, the staff and students organised a cake sale and collection for our Christmas hampers. Hall Hire The hire of the hall helps us pay for the overheads of the building, eg electricity, rent etc. Due to rising costs we raised our hourly rent to £15 an hour for continuous, weekly booking and £18 an hour for one off bookings. We have several regular hirers of the hall. From February to August Miranda hosted chair yoga. We have a Bridge Club on Thursdays run by a local Bridge enthusiast. NA (Narcotics Anon) meetings OA (Overeaters Anon) meetings. We also hire the hall for one of events and parties. Quote from a parent who held his children's party at the Octagon The Octagon is the perfect space for a kids party and has all the toys and kitchen facilities you would need. We hosted about 30 parents and toddlers and they had a lovely time. Staff were extremely helpful, the process of hiring was very simple and we had the space to ourselves for 2.5hours. We were given 30mins either side for free, to allow time for set up and take down which was very useful. thanks, Mike Quote from the Bridge Club We had another big attendance of 30, average age 102!!!!. All were wrapped up but warm. It is wonderful to be able to hire a venue that provided, yesterday, a valuable community amenity to ● Two players in their 90s, ● A player partially paralysed by a stroke ● A man with advancing dementia. ● All four come every week. ● A fifth, an occasional player, told me yesterday that he has terminal lung cancer A big thank you from us all to you and your staff for enabling this weekly gathering to meet so happily. Always happy to be quoted, Jacqui. "Jacqui Smith is an inspirational leader of the Octagon Community Project"!!! Nigel December 24 NoSH network of Stroud Hubs Nosh was started by the PCG chair and Trinity Chair in2022. Stroud Town Council supports the Hubs by taking minutes and helping with the application process. A grant from the Build back better fund was received to employ a Food Hub coordinator and the person who has been employed has done a great job on behalf of 6 hubs. This work is in looking for organisations who would have sent excess food to landfill and organising the distribution amongst the hubs. A member from each of the hubs sits on a Committee that oversees the work of NoSH and PCG employs the Coordinator. This meeting takes place once a month. Members have been involved in meetings to apply to become a CIO. This work continues into 2025. A second meeting invites members from all the hubs who are involved in a Cafe or food Hub and will also invite various other organisations interested in the work of NoSH to talk about what they can offer or to learn more about NoSH