A NEW initiative to support local people has opened a centre in Camelford.

The Grow Centre has recently opened its doors to people at 14a Market Place, Camelford, where they hope to ‘supplement’ other projects in the town which is aiming to help and support local people.

Couple Connie and Trevor Smith have introduced the initiative to the town, having opened their doors on October 9.

Connie said: “We’ve been working on this idea since January of this year and are so excited to have now opened our doors as of the 9th of October. We’ve approached it as a ‘soft open’ to get our processes and networks established, with plans to do a formal grand opening celebration at some point in the near future.

“We are so thankful for the support and encouragement we’ve received from local businesses and individuals, who’ve generously contributed time and resources to make this project possible.”

The Grow Centre is a hub for community support, providing practical help in an uplifting environment. With their first location based in the heart of Camelford, the team’s mission is to show ‘God’s love to our community’ by providing practical help and support to people in need.

Clothing and other basic necessities, such as shoes and toiletries, are available to people in Camelford and the surrounding communities at no cost on a voucher system, similar to food banks, to help families with critical needs for every day items or those needing something suitable for a job interview, school uniform and more.

By being an additional local distribution for Wadebridge Foodbank, there is also broader access to emergency food parcels for Camelford and the surrounding communities.

Further aspects of support will develop over time to include partnering with other charities and organisations to run helpful courses locally, host community events, connect peope to personalised support and provide other types of practical help.

Connie continued: “Our aim is to supplement the other great community support projects and activities happening in this area. While the Grow Centre is beginning as a project of a local church (Souls Harbour, also in Camelford), our hope is that other businesses, organisations, churches, charities and individuals will be inspired to connect in to make an even bigger impact. Over time, we hope to open more Grow Centres in other small communities to provide similar help, support and encouragement to people in need.”

Similarly to food banks, the Grow Centre has a voucher system to encourage people to seek support. Grow Vouchers are issued by an authorised, partnering person or agency who is aware of the recipient’s situation and need, such as being out of or unable to work, attempting to gain work, low or limited income, unexpected crisis or tragedy, homelessness, extended illness, children in need and more.

A person may have a need and seek out a Grow Voucher by contacting one of their referral partners, which are listed on the Grow Centre’s website, or a person may be offered a Grow Voucher by a referral partner through the course of their interactions with those agencies because of their situation.

The Grow Centre’s list of partners will soon expand to include many local community and health locations and schools.

They have been waiting until they were fully up and running to distribute vouchers to other agencies, so this process is just now beginning and their website list will be updated as new referral partners are confirmed.

The town or village lived in or school attended should be in the list of ‘areas serviced’ on the back of the voucher, as the Grow Centre is designed to support the community where it is located.

Areas serviced for Grow Vouchers, with recipients who live in an area or have children attending a listed school, include: Advent, Blisland, Bocastle, Bossiney, Camelford, Camelford Station, Canworthy Water, Crackington Haven, Davidstow, De Lank, Delabole, Hallworthy, Helstone, Leathern Bottle, Lesnewth, Marshgate, Michaelstow, Newall Green, Otterham, Pencarrow, Pendoggett, Port Gavern, Port Isaac, Port Quinn, St Breward, St Endellion, St Teath, Tintagel, Tramagenna, Trebarwith, Tregoodwell, Treknow, Treligga, Trelights, Trelill, Tremail, Tresparrett, Trevalga, Treveighan, Trewalder, Trewarmett, Trewassa, Valley Truckle, Wainhouse Corner, Warbstow.

Schools include Boscastle, Camelford, Delabole, Port Isaac, St Teath, St Breward, Tintagel and Warbstow.

The Grow Centre is hoping to help anyone in need. Referral reasons for a Grow Voucher include suitable clothes required for a job interview; starting a new job and in need of one or more sets of suitable clothing or shoes; child in need of school uniform items; clothes and essentials needed due to loss in a fire, flood or other tragedy; clothes and essentials needed due to relocation with minimal possessions, such as a refugee family or victims of domestic violence; taking a child into care and needing suitable clothes, toys, books, etc; clothes needed to attend a funeral, wedding, christening, court appearance, etc; dressing gown, slippers, nightclothes needed for hospital stay; warm layers for winter months; baby clothes for a newborn; clothes or essentials needed due to homelessness; clothes or essentials needed due to extended or chronic illness; clothes or essentials needed due to limited income and unable to purchase; other circumstances that could be helped by the support provided.

To redeem a voucher, the recipient brings their voucher and a form of ID to the Grow Centre during their opening hours. Grow Centre staff will review the voucher, discuss the items needed and then help fulfil the request. Every effort will be made to provide the items needed, though available stock or resources may be limited at times.

In addition to redeeming Grow Vouchers, and Wadebridge Foodbank vouchers, staff will offer recipients a hot drink and a friendly chat, including, when possible, providing information for other types of support that may be available, such as upcoming courses or other organisations.

There may also be times where a referring partner may act as an intermediary to issue and redeem the voucher on behalf of the recipient, such as for someone who is unable to leave their home due to an illness or a child that needs to receive help anonymously through a school or other agency.

The Grow Centre will be starting with Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to noon, but expect to adjust and expand over time as the team find what best supports the needs of the community as its range of support services broadens.

Connie added: “Our resource network is growing and evolving, so we are happy for anyone to contact us if they have resources we can provide or connect people with, or they would like to be authorised to issue Grow Vouchers.

“The Grow Centre also gratefully accepts donations of items in good, ‘gently-used’ condition in all sizes for adults and children. We also gratefully accept any monetary donations towards running costs and to have funds available that can be used to help source items that may be needed but aren’t available in stock.

While the items provided are voucher-based — nothing is for sale — anyone is always welcome to pop in to the Grow Centre for a chat or to ask any questions.

For more information on the Grow Centre, visit www.growcentre.org, like their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/growcentreuk, visit them at 14a Market Place, Camelford, PL32 9PB or email [email protected] or call 0330 133 0165.