ALDI COULSDON

ln August 2007, ECE recieved a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of 300,000 members of the IYF (International Youth Fellowship) for our contribution to the UK branch. In September 2008, Esther Community Enterprise was awarded certificates from the Lord Mayor of Croydon, for having carried out 100 hours of volunteering activities. On the 2 June 2011, ECE was awarded with theQueens Award for Voluntary Service, MBE. This is the highest award given to voluntary groups in the United Kingdom, and as such, is equivalent in status to the MBE. This prestigious UK National Honour recognises outstanding voluntary contributions and sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard. We aim to meet those who have needs in the local community by redistribution of food and other consumables donated from retailers. ECE makes a worthwhile collective response to the 3 tenets of sustainable development, namely social, economical and environmental needs. ECE forms a consortium with other charities, faith groups, projects and organisations. We have over 70 Project Co-ordinators. They manage and help to distribute the food/groceries and clothing items within the local communities across the UK, on behalf of ECE. We have sustained our social enterprise through the goodwill and hard work of over 400 drivers and countless volunteers, who contribute their time, transportation and finance to this worthy cause. Near sell by date food is collected on a daily basis from a range of supermarkets and other retailers and diverted to those that need it most ECE feeds in excess of 40,000 people per week and this is steadily on the increase as we expand across the UK

We are a group of local professionals from across the Sutton community who actively work together to plan, deliver and implement projects aimed at achieving positive outcomes for those who live, work and travel to the London Borough of Sutton. Our network draws on the experience, observations and combined expertise of its 30+ members including: Accountants, Analysts, Marketing Directors, Project Managers, Nurses, Social Workers, Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Transport Operatives and Ward Coordinators. We believe that the most effective way to deliver our projects is through partnership working, utilising existing resources to promote a strong and sustainable community culture. By combining our overall skill set with the resources of our partners we are able to deliver and implement new and inventive solutions to the evolving needs of our community. Our sole objective of the network is to support anyone in need, creating a truly inclusive environment.

Bandon Hill is a community primary school in Wallington, London Borough of Sutton. We have roughly 450 children. Bandon Hill has a passionate and dedicated PSA made up of parents and staff who work hard to support the school community. Their focus at the moment is raising money to develop our outdoor learning area. THE MEADOW: We have a hard surface playground and ball court, and a green area known as 'the meadow'. It is this meadow area we are developing in order to make it look more attractive, support local wildlife, provide educational opportunities, and offer a relaxing and therapeutic environment to all of our children. Many of our children live in flats with no direct access to outdoor areas so our meadow really is an important part of our school. SENSORY GARDEN: We want to fill our meadow with scented plants, flowers and herbs and make it a wonderful place for the children to explore nature and learn about flowers, plants and wildlife. We will support local wildlife by attracting birds, bees and other insects. This area will benefit all children and particularly those with special needs, e.g. ADHD, autism or sensory processing difficulties. The sensory meadow can both stimulate or calm the senses and will have a hugely positive effect on wellbeing. FOOD GARDEN: We have recently started growing our own food. We have built a greenhouse and children have been busy planting seeds. We have created raised beds for the next stage and children have been regularly weeding them and getting them ready for the young plants. Our aim is to have sales of our produce and embed the scheme in our school life. Thank you for your support to improve the lives of our children.