Fratton Together Pantry helping to tackle food poverty from the heart of the community

Fratton Together Pantry opened last year in The Bridge Centre on Fratton Road with 200 members already signed up to the scheme. The pantry allows members to pay £5 a week and pick up 10 items usually worth between £20 and £30.

Open every Tuesday between 1.30pm and 3.30pm, the scheme is helping people during difficult economic times. Chairman of Fratton Together, Reverend Canon Bob White said: “It helps people move on from relying on food banks and becoming more self-sufficient while addressing the issues of food poverty. The response has been very good. We have about 200 members and the weekly shop is about 20 to 30 people.”

The pantry opened in The Bridge Centre as one of Portsmouth City Council’s new tenants after it bought the building in September 2023 with funding from the Government's Future High Streets Fund. The investment in the area has been welcomed by Father White after years of working to instil pride in the community.

He said: “Over the last 10 years with Fratton Big Local, which was the predecessor of Fratton Together, one of the big issues was always the state of Fratton Road and particularly The Bridge Centre itself. Lots of empty units, low quality maintenance, it just had a very run-down sad feel. We wanted to encourage people to be proud of their community and to celebrate what is in it.

“The work with Future High Streets and the city council in investing here, and supporting people like us and the Parenting Network, has just brought the place back to life. It is well cared for and is hopefully increasing the sense of community pride. We are delighted to be at the heart of this new opportunity for Fratton”

Having a permanent hub in the heart of Fratton has helped the service reach more more people. While the pantry is only currently open on a Tuesday, there are plans to add an extra day, and on Wednesday afternoons it holds a drop-in session for help and advice on community life, health and well-being.

Father White said: “It is important that we are in a visible and accessible location to meet members of the community and hear their needs. Our Fratton Local Pantry has already made a significant difference to local people, and we are looking forward to using the Front Room at 95 Fratton Road to host workshops and drop in sessions"

Anyone interested in finding out more information on the Fratton Together Pantry service can visit the website or email [email protected].

Watch the video embedded in this article for the full interview with Revd Canon Bob White.

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