Wichelstowe teams serve up support for Swindon Food Collective

A month-long food donation drive in support of the Swindon Food Collective has been launched by key players in the Wichelstowe development.

The move by the teams from Barratt Homes Bristol, David Wilson Homes South West and the Wichelstowe Joint Venture (JV) kicked off today - 6 September - and marked National Food Bank Day. 

National Food Bank Day, on the first Friday in September, encourages people to commit to contributing to the cause that believes no one should go to bed hungry.

Throughout September, staff members and contractors working to build Wichelstowe will bring food donations to work, with all contributions being handed over to the charity at the end of the month.

This initiative is the latest in a long-standing tradition of support from the Wichelstowe teams, who have stepped up to help the local food bank during challenging times. 

Their efforts come at a crucial moment, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to strain the resources of charities like the Swindon Food Collective.

Over the years, these teams have not only provided financial support but have also gone above and beyond to meet the growing needs of the charity. Last year, a team of carpenters from the Wichelstowe development designed and built a much-needed storeroom for the charity to ensure it could continue its vital work serving hundreds of families in the area.

Daniel Pavely, Project Director – Wichelstowe, said: "Our teams have a long history of supporting local charities and the work done by the Swindon Food Collective is incredibly close to our hearts. 

“With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, initiatives like the Swindon Food Collective are more essential than ever and we’re proud to continue our tradition of support. We hope our combined efforts will alleviate some of the pressure on the charity, ensuring that no family in our community goes without."

Swindon Food Collective has seen numbers of people needing their help increase massively over the past few years.  From April 2023 to March 2024, the charity fed 10,350 people.  

It operates 11 distribution centres, with centres in Lyneham, Royal Wootton Bassett, Highworth, Freshbrook, Penhill, Parks, Moredon, Liden, Stratton St Margaret, the town centre and Wroughton. 

The Wichelstowe development is being built by Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes in partnership with Swindon Borough Council which will deliver 3,000 new homes along with new schools and community facilities over 20 years. The 250-hectare site on the southern edge of Swindon will include extensive open spaces, nature conservation areas, playing pitches and allotments.

As part of this neighbourhood residents can enjoy 12km of new nature trails, play areas, 200 acres of open space and walks along the Wilts and Berks canal. There’s also a range of schools for children of all ages within easy reach.  Junction 16 of the M4 and Swindon train station are both within a ten-minute drive, providing easy access to Bristol and London. 

Barratt David Wilson Homes South West will launch a new phase at Canalside in early 2025 and potential buyers can register at www.dwh.co.uk soon, while Barratt Homes Bristol will soon unveil a new phase at Wichel Fields. For more information, people can visit www.barratthomes.co.uk.