ALDI GAINSBOROUGH

We believe everyone in society should have equal opportunities and choice to live the life they choose to live. We provide group sessions, dropin, food sharing, short courses, information advice and guidance, advocacy for dealing with issues with statutory and private companies, and we provide opportunities and empowerment to members to seek a better quality of life.

GAPA offers an all year round play service for children and young people aged 0 – 14years, it is based in the heart of the Gainsborough community and also offers outreach play for those not able to access our site. We currently have 430 members who come from all areas of Gainsborough and surrounding villages. The service consists of an open access adventure playground and groups for children aged 0 – 4 years with their parents/carers. All of these services are carefully planned and are all based on play and learning and achieving positive outcomes for children and young people. At GAPA we believe that play is an important part of any child's life and the benefits are immense, we allow children to have opportunities to develop their sense of self-identity, self-esteem, to empathise with the situation of others and to grow aware of the consequences of their actions. At GAPA we encourage children to use its resources as they choose, which provides a wider range of opportunities and shows our trust in the children and that we value their input. Most of all, we allow children to be children and to have fun, relax, make friends and play. At GAPA we work in close partnership with families as a whole and have built up excellent working relationships and trust within the local community and are seen as the focal point of the estate were people of all ages come for lots of different reasons including, friendship, advice and support. GAPA has almost 3 acres of land that allows the children to be outdoors all year round in all weathers. We have a varied environment including a large and established hedgerow, wild areas were the grass is left to grow long, a water area that includes a cave and waterfall that falls into two pebbled streams and a large playing field that has areas of fixed play equipment and areas that have been developed over the years such as a fire pit, bug garden and sensory area. Outdoor play has many benefits for children and enables them to interact with others and helps to build confidence and social skills, and we are aware and understand the importance of research evidence that shows that the regular participation of physical activity provides all children, including children with a disability, with a wide range of physical, social and mental health benefits.

We are a foodbank with a difference. Our aims are to relieve food poverty and support families and individuals by distributing food to them, and to reduce food waste As well as non-perishable food, we collect food that is fresh, chilled, frozen or close to its use by date. Where possible food is frozen to preserve it. Where this is not possible, we look to distribute it quickly so that it can be used before it is out of date or perished. We are based in the Isle of Axholme and offer parcel deliveries across this large rural area and close villages. The Community Pantry however is open to everyone. On a typical week we deliver about 70 food parcels and have more than 20 visitors to the Community Pantry. We estimate that this helps to feed more than 300 people in total. We accept donations of surplus food from our foodshare partners - typically food shops, restaurants, food businesses, allotment holders and local farmers. We take good food that is surplus to their requirements or close to date and would otherwise go to waste. We also have our own allotment where fresh seasonal vegetables are grwon by our volunteers. We accept donations from individuals at a network of community collection points. These are in shops, churches, schools, community centres etc, All food is checked to make sure that it is safe to be used then it will be stored or distributed to families and individuals. Our Community Pantry operates on a Friday morning and incorporates Community Cuppa, providing a place for people to enjoy coffee and cake wjile waiting for their turn in the pantry. The Community Cuppa is also an information point signposting people to further support and help. We have internet enabled computers and can assist people in completing online searches and applications etc. We often have visitors to help - local councillors, citizen's advice, social prescribing etc. The Community Cuppa is also a place where people can come simply to socialise and is demetia friendly.