Annual report 2021–2022
Annual Report 2021–2022
A year of growth: the Community Hub opened its doors, emergency food support expanded, and the Council supported people arriving from Afghanistan and the response to the war in Ukraine.
Headline figures for 2021–2022
- emergency food parcels distributed
- 11,232emergency food parcels distributed
- meals provided
- 134,784meals provided
- residents assisted through donated food and goods
- 10,000+residents assisted through donated food and goods
- Easter eggs delivered at Easter 2022
- 1,800+Easter eggs delivered at Easter 2022
All figures on this page relate to the 2021–2022 reporting period.
Out-of-Hours Emergency Food Service
Emergency food parcels continued through a mix of collections and deliveries. A grant from Telford & Wrekin Council allowed the out-of-hours service to continue and funded a van, used to deliver parcels and to take vulnerable residents to doctors' appointments and prescription collections. Further funding paid for racking in the food store and new shutters at the rear of the building, improving access for deliveries and security. Donations of food and goods from many donors assisted more than 10,000 residents across the borough.
- 11,232 emergency food parcels distributed across the borough
- 134,784 meals provided
Afghanistan refugee support
The UK formally opened the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme on 6 January 2022, prioritising those who had assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk and members of minority groups at risk.
The Council was asked to assist the local authority in supporting Afghan families temporarily housed within the borough. Most arrived with nothing beyond the clothes they were wearing. The Council led a campaign collecting clothes, shoes and children's toys, and helped with language interpretation, religious worship — including a donation of prayer mats — and tension facilitation. Volunteers also helped families reach GP and dental appointments, and arranged a trip out of the borough.
Ukraine relief support
Following the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Polish members of the Interfaith Council approached the Council for help collecting donations to send to Poland in support of refugees fleeing the war.
The Council offered its storage facilities free of charge as a drop-off and sorting location for the Ukrainian relief project in Telford, brought together all its member communities to donate, and promoted the appeal through its social media channels. In total, 12 articulated lorries of food, clothes, toys, toiletries and other essential items were sent through the local campaign, helping thousands of refugees who had fled to Poland. The Council also supported the borough council with painting, decorating and small repairs so that refugees could settle into accommodation quickly.
Community Hub opening
In June 2021 the Council received a grant to upgrade the building it had begun renting so that it could be used by the community. The work redesigned the ground floor to add meeting and community rooms and a downstairs toilet, and upgraded the electrics to suit the new layout. The Telford & Wrekin Interfaith Community Hub was officially opened in October 2021, with dignitaries and guests from across the county in attendance. In May 2022 further funding was received to adapt the first floor for additional community use.
Mobile Santa Grotto
With the support of Telford & Wrekin Council, Balfour Beatty and many volunteers, the Mobile Santa Grotto returned for a second year, touring the streets of the borough for the two weeks before Christmas.
Easter Egg Project
At Easter 2022 the Board of Trustees again supported vulnerable families and individuals, as well as emergency services personnel. Public support and donations enabled the delivery of more than 1,800 Easter eggs across the borough, including to the children of emergency services personnel. The Easter Smile campaign ran successfully for a second year.
Equality and diversity
As part of the Council's mission to bring unity into the community and promote inclusion, several projects ran through the year. These included workshops during South Asian Heritage Month with a drawing competition supported by local school children, work with multiple organisations during Black History Month, and faith and cultural events at the Community Hub — among them Diwali, Eid and Holocaust Memorial Day — engaging local schools and community groups.
Interfaith Youth Forum
In late spring 2021 the Interfaith Youth Forum was established with six founding members, all under 18. The forum brings young people together from all walks of life to build lasting friendships and to learn from, respect and embrace the faiths and cultures that make up the borough.
In May 2022 the group, joined by additional young people, spent two days in the Liverpool area receiving leadership training on running an inclusive organisation, and visited Tranmere Rovers F.C. as VIP guests, where they were invited onto the pitch for a half-time photograph. The youth forum also worked with AFC Telford, using their outdoor all-weather five-a-side pitches one evening a week.
