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Absolutely shitting myself at the response to this

Swindon Town Warm Hub

This has taken longer to get open than we’d have liked but a lot has to happen in the background before we could launch. The Swindon Town Warm Hub will be run by volunteers and hosted by Swindon Town, who have also got the first donations of tea, coffee and soups for us.

But now we need more volunteers for us to be able to open as much as possible.

It will be hosted in the junior robins suite at the County Ground. If we can get enough volunteers we will open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 - 4.

We will be open to anyone who needs access to a warm, safe space. We have been gifted an awesome selection of board games thanks to the OSC, there will be colouring books and pens and print outs of information and help lines from the Borough Council and if I can get my old laptop working access to the council cost of living padlet that’s full of even more really useful information and helplines.

If you are able to help please drop me a message.

If you’d like to make a donation of goods to keep us open they would be greatly appreciated. Ideally we need biscuits, crisps, pot noodles that type of thing, please drop me a message to arrange drop off or collection.

This hub will only be able to run if we get enough help, even if you can only do one hour a week that would be amazing!

Good idea.

Not sure why you would be shitting myself at the response to this, they are a sadly needed great idea.

They have set up one in the village here and its absolutely heaving providing a much needed resource for people.

Class. Only a moron could find an issue with this. This is the type of thing volunteering should be used for, and well done to the club for being open to the idea/ helping with some donations.

Something to be proud of coming out of STFC has been few and far between recently.

it's a great idea, just tricky to help as in office hours

if my personal circumstances change I'll be in touch

Pft, just as bad as the club you are Deano, after volunteers!

Nah, fair play mate. Top work.

 :blowkiss:

I hope you get the helpers it badly needs, fucking great work, is there any wonder why we (pretty much) all loves ya?

Great work Dean, something you and the club should be proud of.  Given the Adver reprint Facebook posts as news these days, hopefully it garners some local coverage as well.

Unreal work. Fair play. Like its been said above, things like this are what STFC can be proud of, and this is how volunteering should be used.

Hopefully people recognise the ones who've put all the leg work into making this happen like yourselves, as opposed to the likes of Basil Solomon from the council trying to muscle in on this and make it about them.

Brilliant work Dean, have reached out to Debbie to offer help and donated supplies too. Hopefully we can help more going forward.. Well done

Not sure why you would shit yourself at this type of venture. It is the type of honourable thing that does need the help of volunteers (much like soup kitchens etc). It should be applauded and supported.

There's quite a difference between trying to get a (possibly) young and privileged creative in for free when there are existing media routes like ScreenSkills who work with media/film/TV/Theatre arms, to supply a fully or part funded employee. Maybe the club can look at applying to partner with someone like them in order to support people working or wanting to work in creative industries (young or old) and makes it more viable for all parties? Failing that they could partner with a media/film school or college/uni in order to create some type of partner program; sending those studying on a media placement with Town. I believe there are also funding initiatives available for this too.

But back to this, I think this is a cracking idea. Is there any way that you can get STFC FiTC to back this too? Using some of their facilities and so on? Kudos DMC and all that are involved helping and giving you the space to enable this project. Good luck, I'll help where possibly but my geography means it would be more remotely and so on. If there is a preferred address where people can send parcels or "Warm Hub" items then please do drop it in here and I'm sure those further afield wil do what they can to help too :)

A bit disappointing that you didn't put a post up asking for some social marketeers to give up their free time to create a post to get some volunteers to help out with the Warm Hub - you could have then sub-contracted them to the club  :D

There is some really great work starting to happen as well on top of this, this was all the idea of Debbie who has ran with it and made it happen.

As it stands on a Saturday at the moment the club also allow me to collect all the left over food from the game and take this to the homeless hostel and i also drop of any additional to the guys who can't stay in the hostel on the streets, there should be a piece on this soon from the club on how we can help more as we are looking to introduce a scheme where the fans can purchase a token for £1 on a matchday. Once a month we will then take the funds and then provide food to the hostel i am working with, my plan and the dream is that we raise too much and we can start to look at another shelter

Thanks for all the offers too. All donations will be welcomed honestly

Haha, behave  :soapy tit wank:

Have you/the club/Debbie considered approaching someone like Olio to partner with? I know they are predominantly focused on the reduction of food waste but if they were interested in partnering with the club and were also told about the sustainability efforts that are also arriving at the club going forward then they may like the idea of giving STFC the first refusal of being a 'Food Waste Hero' or something, as Olio like to term it. Would it be worth setting up a conversation with Michael Doughty to discuss some options and then potentially setting up a meeting with Olio and he to explore this. All helps show the club in a better light if looking towards a complete idea of sustainability, enviromentally/climate aware and following a ''3Rs'' type of policy - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - which of course as a concept has been around for a while.

It might not be useful, just sounding off as there maybe something there that you guys can come together on and go with as this type of thing evolves. Would be very positive from all concerned and put the club in a very positive light, regarding helping those less fortunate  :-[

It's a good idea and certainly worth the chat. Thanks Bamboo

Excuse my ignorance but what exactly would be required of said volunteers?

Just to be on hand buddy. Help with drinks snacks etc , just be there really

During the Covid lockdown winter Mrs Bob did some volunteering making sure the homeless that were being put up in the hotels around Clapham were being fed, and they had lots of superb donations from Olio. Also it might be worth trying the supermarkets for donations? They were really good with providing food, mainly bread.

Bizarrely (and this sounds like a terrible joke but i saw it with my own eyes) one time she received a box of dates which had been donated. On the boxes it had come from the Royal Family, Prince Andrew! Few jokes about his dodgy dates that day!

I'm more than willing to pop over on the train from Stroud (apart from Mondays and Wednesdays when I play walking football). I've had volunteer experience working at a food bank and a food hub (offering support and a cafe and food for meals for sale etc.) in Stroud and as a Swindonian by birth (sister and bro-in-law still in Swindon) and an old mate of Reg's, it would be good to give something back to the club and town I love. Let me know where to email etc and I'll be on board.

Is there access to an oven at the venue?

If so i could help with some food donations.

Don't tell Jutty

Hopefully the Olio partnering could be a go-er then as I think the biggest supermarkets etc have to give first refusal to homeless/poverty based initiatives from memory.

There's always a shedload of bread, which is great for any soup/stew based offerings  :)

Haha, the less said about Prince Andrew's dodgy dates is probably for the best. I think some might call that ''By Royal Dick Appointment''  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

There isn't i am afraid mate but thank you. There is for the homeless inititive though that i am rumnning seperately

Message me please....hopefully get something going.

In more interesting news, this looks like it’s set to start from tomorrow. Unreal work from Dean and co to get this going. Hope the club really push this on socials and even get players involved when they’re at the club time permitting. Volunteers like these means this is the positive image the club should/could have in the public eye…

Cheers mate. I have been absolutely crazy recently with work and a few other projects lined up so if anyone has messaged me regarding volunteering sorry for being slow i will get back to You or give me a nudge