Escalating costs of living means so many more people are struggling to put food on the table and worrying about the cost of their fuel bills.

Working people who are usually totally independent are having trouble making ends meet. According to Communities First, 9 in 10 adults have reported an increase in their cost of living, with now nearly a quarter finding it difficult to pay their usual household bills.

Communities First have a very useful website with links all relevant resources, schemes and local organisations who can be of help. This includes a dedicated Help for School Holidays page with a list of all available free or low cost activities, meal deals and travel options for families.

Redbourn Parish Council is working to support various community initiatives set up to help Redbourn residents through these extraordinarily difficult times.

In addition to this please find below information about grants to make your home warmer and services available to all residents, regardless of income for help with all aspects of energy efficiency and cost of living crisis.

Redbourn Community Group is working with St Albans and District Foodbank united in the belief that nobody should have to make choices between food or fuel.

We now have a foodbank in Redbourn which supports people in a crisis by providing access to emergency food parcels and signposting them on the specialist services offering financial advice, mental health support etc.

When people visit Redbourn Foodbank they are given three days' worth of emergency food, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, bread plus some essential non-food items such as cleaning products and toiletries.

Redbourn Foodbank operates out of Redbourn Parish Centre and is open on Mondays from 1.30pm -3.30pm for registered clients.

If you or anybody you know is in need of food support in Redbourn, please contact the Redbourn Community Group office on 01582 794550 for a referral

The Redbourn Charities have joined forces with Redbourn Christmas Hampers (more info below) in a new initiative to support the people of Redbourn.

Redbourn Community Food Club is a way of helping people with their food needs without causing embarrassment. For a £10 annual membership fee and a £5 weekly cost, £25 worth of food can be obtained from the club. For those families receiving free school meals Redbourn Primary and St Luke's School are paying the annual membership fee for the first year.

There are no eligibility criteria, no judgement and no stigma. Its all about supporting others.

Food is obtained from FareShare a charity who redistributes in date, over ordered or, undersold food from all the major supermarkets, preventing it going to landfill. The £5 weekly fee goes back to FareShare to provide the following weeks' food.

Redbourn Community Food Club opens every Thursday at St Luke's School from 3.30 -6.30pm

Did you know that the Healthy Start scheme helps families on a low-income to buy essential food?

If you're more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.

If you're eligible, you'll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We'll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.

You can use your card to buy:

• plain liquid cow's milk
• fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
• fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
• infant formula milk based on cow's milk

You can also use your card to collect:

• Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old

For more info visit: Healthy Start Scheme

There are lots of different ways you can help support these initiatives:

Food Donations

Donations of non-perishables, in date goods (with a reasonable shelf life), no matter how small are always welcome.

There are 3 drop off points in the village at St Mary's Church, The Co-op and Weymans Nisa Local. Just look out for the baskets to receive donations.

Each Friday the donations are collected by volunteers and taken to the foodbank warehouse in Redbourn Industrial Estate where they are packed up into emergency food parcels for Redbourn Foodbank.

Volunteer to Collect Donations

To join the team of volunteers who collect donations please contact the co-ordinator Janet Collins on 07721 864069.

Currently the commitment is for approximately 1 1/2 hours every 3 months.

Hygiene Donations

The team at The Barefoot Accountant have been a drop off point for Harpenden Hygiene Bank for some time now. The Hygiene Bank welcomes donations of new, unused, in-date personal care and household cleaning essentials.

Donate to Redbourn Community Food Club

Due to the high demand of for food across the country, FareShare food is running out. In order to support the purchase of additional food the Food Club is asking people to consider making a £5 or £10 monthly standing order in order to provide the Club with a regular and sustainable income.

One off financial donations are also welcome.

To find out how to donate visit the Redbourn Community Food Club website

Volunteer for Redbourn Community Food Club

To volunteer to help with the Hamper Scheme please contact Deni Ennals deniennals2@hotmail.com 07771 786 819

Redbourn Community Group and other local organisations have been working together with the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) to produce a leaflet about the financial advice and support that is available locally if you're struggling to make ends meet.

The leaflet provides a simple step by step guide to find out where to get financial help in St Albans District.

You can download a pdf of the leaflet below

We have a regular weekly Citizens' Advice drop in service in Redbourn on a Monday afternoon from 12-2pm at Redbourn Parish Centre.

There is no need to book, you can just turn up between these times and speak to Vivien our local advisor for help with money, benefits, housing, reducing energy bills, employment and family issues.

The advice if free and confidential and more information can be found on our Citizens' Advice page

As a preventative approach to health and wellbeing, St Albans District Council, in partnership with Better Housing Better Health, have now launched a central phone advice line available to all residents, regardless of income, to help with all aspects of energy efficiency and the energy crisis.

The service provides residents with a single point of contact to get impartial expert advice to help improve the energy efficiency of their home, save money and improve comfort.

Through this service, residents of all incomes, can obtain:

Referral for grants and funds you may be eligible for
Checks to make sure you are receiving all the support you are entitled to
Advice on switching suppliers
Detailed advice on how to save energy at home
Referral to other organisations or contractors who may be able to help you with things like debt, wellbeing, mental health.
Detailed home energy assessments

Call: 0800 107 0044 (weekdays 9am-5pm)

Email: bhbh@nef.org.uk

Or visit their website: www.bhbh.org.uk

More advice and support is available from St Albans District Council and a range of voluntary and community groups across the District.

More information can be found on their Cost of Living Support page

Hertfordshire County Council are making sure that advice and support is available to help every resident deal with the rising living costs and stay safe and well this winter, with practical help for people who need it most.

The Government is offering cost of living support to every household. Find out what cost of living support you can get today.

Help for Households