Up Close With Restore Collective 'Enabling individuals, families and communities to thrive'

Atherstone Nub News aims to be supportive to every element of the community from businesses, shops, and people, to charities, clubs and sports organisations.

We will be profiling some of these local businesses, and groups regularly over the coming weeks in a feature called 'Up Close With'.

For this edition we spoke to the director of Atherstone-based charity Restore Collective.

If there is one thing that has become apparent during the coronavirus pandemic, it is how many people in our society live on the fringes and are vulnerable.

We have seen, over the past 12 months, groups and individuals work to help those who have been struggling financially, emotionally or with their health.

One of these groups is Atherstone-based charity 'Restore Collective' which helps to support and empower vulnerable families and individuals in North Warwickshire.

We chatted to its director to find out more.

Early beginnings

Restore Collective first came to Atherstone in early 2015 as a group of friends saw an opportunity to help support and engage those who were on the margins and fringes of the local community.

The group wanted to start running free events and activities for families, and individuals who were struggling; groups who felt isolated were to be brought together to help create a community spirit.

"We wanted to get to know some of the families, those on the margin and create a community for them," he said.

By the summer of 2015 the group had already made contact with some of the local schools and councils in order to help identify where best to concentrate their efforts.

Christmas 2015 saw their first event with a banquet at the Atherstone Memorial Hall.

"We were growing in passion to support families and create a space for families to come together to have fun in a safe and non threatening environment.

"We were unsure really who was going to turn up and how it was going to go but about 60 or 70 of us gathered for that first event.

"It just evolved and emerged gently from there."

Over the following few years the collective grew in ambition, size, and spirit. Aiming at running monthly trips, activities and workshops for the families, the volunteers and families alike were able to benefit from the outreach work.

Trips to Bosworth and Kingsbury water parks, other public spaces, leisure centres in Nuneaton and Polesworth, and an annual trip to the beach all became part of the calendar.

'Enabling individuals, families and communities to thrive'

Restore Collective became a registered charity in September 2019, which marked another milestone in the group's work.

"In the last couple of years we have begun to start taking children and young people to youth groups and half term clubs that are already established by other groups.

"But in terms of philosophy, the thing we are proudest of, we have created a steering group made up of mums, dads, teenagers, neighbours, and people who we want to empower to plan the thing with us.

"Sometimes we do things for people and to people, but we are passionate about doing things with people. That's why the word 'enable' is so integral to what we do."

Following their mission statement 'enabling individuals, families and communities to thrive' Restore Collective has progressed from being a group that just provides for those on the fringes of society.

Now, they are actively engaging those individuals in the running of the charity, giving everyone a say in how they operate.

"It's a privilege to create opportunities for others to serve, help others, develop new skills and grow in confidence.

"All we say really is come as you are, and you have a seat at the table - everyone is welcome. If you want to come and contribute you can do. It has been so rewarding to see people come, develop and see their confidence grow.

"There are times when we do stuff to or for people because they are unable to see it or do it themselves, but the best way is to do stuff with people. That is the core value of what we do."

The steering group comes back to the heart of what the founding volunteers set out to achieve.

"Collective comes from we are in this together, we as Restore Collective do not have all the answers but we are just one part of the puzzles and play a particular role."

Covid-19, lockdown, and expansion

Restore Collective entered 2020 with a full agenda of ideas to expand their activities program, to reach out to more people, and to strengthen relationships with the families that they already worked with.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus lockdown effectively put an end to all group activities, and the charity were left wondering how they could still help the community.

Following contact from one of the local head teachers the group began to help deliver food parcels to local families who were struggling financially.

They then began to work with a charity in Hinckley 'Feed the Hungry UK' to distribute food directly to households in the area. Around 15 volunteers now help deliver and distribute to almost 60 families in Atherstone and Mancetter.

Restore Collective also began to work with the congregation St Peter's Church in Mancetter who produce craft packs for children; these were also then distributed alongside food parcels.

Following a £10,000 National Lottery grant, Restore Collective has also branched out to Bedworth, working with the food bank and Life Church there to help distribute food parcels and provide additional support to families. Its family support worker (Rachel) is now a trained facilitator with 'Kids Matter', and the charity plans to deliver many parenting courses across North Warwickshire.

In Hinckley an individual (Karen) has also joined the charity to provide a coaching and mentoring project for adults called 'Sovereign Foundations.'

In all, some 120 families in North Warwickshire now regularly benefit from their services in some way.

What next?

As Restore Collective continues to help some of the most vulnerable members of society, the charity is keen to find a permanent residence within the community.

This became more obvious over the Christmas period when on December 23 they were delivering food from two gazebos on a driveway.

"We were fighting against the wind and the rain, and it just wasn't on.

"Having a permanent base would just propel us to that next level."

Whilst this continues to gain momentum, the charity wants to continue to let people know that its services are available to all who need them.

For more information or to get involved, please follow this link to their website or visit the Facebook page.