Solent Journalism – Communicare relaunches bakery after crowdfunding success
A CHARITY in Southampton has relaunched a bakery as a way to raise money for lonely and isolated people across the city.
Communicare purchased the former LoveCake site on St. James Road in Shirley and raised £6,400 towards the project after a successful Crowdfunding campaign.
The charity has also renamed the bakery to ‘CommuniBakes‘ and have high hopes that this will become a local hot spot in the community.
Annie Clewlow, Communicare’s Manager, said: “We are thrilled to have finally reached this point with a project that has required a great deal of time and planning to come to fruition. We look forward to an exciting future with this new venture for the charity.”
In a 2016 report by the Local Government Association (LGA), it was estimated that there are over a million people aged 65 and over who have experienced high levels of loneliness in Southampton.
Also in the report, Cllr David Rogers OBE , Chair of the LGA community wellbeing board, said: “There is growing recognition that loneliness is a serious problem, with far reaching implications, not just for individuals, but also for wider communities.”
Communicare is a charity that was founded in 1991 and over the past 30 years has continued to give support to isolated and lonely people across Southampton. They also offer family support, gardening assistance and transport to medical appointments for people who don’t have access to taxis or public transport.
Communibakes is currently open on Thursdays and Fridays (8:30am-12:30pm) as well as on Saturdays (8am – 12pm). In the future, the bakery hopes to extend opening hours to six days a week.