Abbey People

What to expect

Abbey People run regular help and support sessions for the local community. There is no need to book for any of these sessions, just go along:

The Food Hub runs on Mondays 1-3pm, Wednesdays 3.30–5:30pm and Saturdays 11am-12:30pm at East Barnwell Community Centre. There are fresh fruit and vegetables available as well as store-cupboard essentials. No referral is needed and there are no forms to fill in. Just go along with a shopping bag and help yourself. The amount and type of food available will vary each week depending on availability. Some of the food is surplus donated by supermarkets, others is locally grown by partner organisations.

Support drop-ins are held on Tuesdays 2-4pm & Thursdays 10-12 pm at the Hub on Barnwell Road. Anyone is welcome to drop-in and use the Wi-Fi, computers and printers. Staff will also be on-hand to help you with completing forms, and to refer you to partner organisations who can provide support for issues you may be facing.

A Community Coffee morning is held every Friday morning 10am-12pm at The Hub on Barnwell Road. It is a drop-in social coffee morning for Abbey residents to take part in craft activities, chat and build community over a cuppa.

Frazzled Fridays is a weekly drop-in for parents and carers. Every Friday in term time, 9am-11am at the Hub on Barnwell Road. It is an informal safe space to talk and connect with others. You can also speak one-to-one with a professional who will be able to offer support with any issues you are experiencing in your family.

Abbey Works is a health and employment hub dedicated to helping individuals with long-term health conditions in their journey back to work. Participants are paired with a dedicated Link Worker who can help identify training, volunteering or paid employment opportunities compatible with their interests and health conditions. This is a pilot project running until March 2025. It is open to people living in Abbey and surrounding areas. Find out more on the Abbey People website.

More information

Abbey People also run a range of activities for young people and families.  During term-time they run youth clubs for juniors and seniors at East Barnwell Community Centre. They also run a girls’ group for girls aged 12-16 at the The Hub on Barnwell Road. All of these groups are free to attend. For details and timings, visit the Abbey People website.

Abbey People’s Coder Dojo is an opportunity for young people aged 7-17 to do coding projects with Scratch, Python, Lego Mindstorms and more, and they also have a 3D printer. Young people don’t need to have any coding experience, and can work at their own pace on their own projects. Sessions are held on the third Monday of each month during term time. It’s free to attend. More information and sign up on the CoderDojo website.

There are opportunities to volunteer with Abbey People helping with the running of their community projects, or with conservation work they run in the local community. Visit this page to find out more about current volunteering opportunities.

The support provided by Abbey People is free of charge.