Hello Wonderful Community!
As we all settle into the holiday season and reflect on the past year, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Positive Community Action (PCA).
This year has been an incredible journey of growth, achievement and community spirit. We’ve faced new challenges with kindness and creativity, and our volunteers have been a constant source of support and inspiration.
We recently came across the enchanting story of The Deer Mother. This ancient Solstice tale tells of a deer who flies through the longest, darkest night of the year, carrying the life-giving light of the sun in her antlers and guiding the Sun Goddess’s sleigh.
The Deer Mother brings protection, hope and fertility with the coming of spring. Her antlers hold a secret star that guides lost travellers home, filling their hearts with wonder and purpose.
This story beautifully mirrors the love and light that everyone at PCA has brought to our community, guiding us through dark times and helping us shine.
Many of our volunteers have faced personal challenges this year. Some have had to step back temporarily, some have moved on while others have continued to serve actively. We are all still one big family.
We understand the pressures of personal and social emergencies, having faced a few ourselves. We are grateful for the resilience and unity which binds us together. When one of us falls we help them up – that’s the spirit of PCA, and for that, we are immensely proud.
Our Achievements this year
- Community Meals Team : Cooked and delivered 898 meals to combat loneliness and malnutrition. Totalling around 6500 altogether.
- BURP Team : Supplied essential groceries and household items to nearly 100 households (200 people) facing financial hardship. With a total of almost 3500.
- Food Rescue: Our Foodshare Team saved approximately 700 trays of surplus food from going into landfill, redistributing it within our community with a total of 2500 trays of surplus food saved.
- Friendship Cafes: we hosted 46 cafes, serving over 1000 people with tea, coffee and homemade cakes, providing a warm and welcoming space for socialising. Totalling almost 2500 people served over the years we’ve been open.
- Buddy Crew: Our Buddy Crew continues to keep in touch with some of our most isolated neighbours with regular telephone chats.
These milestones are a testament to the incredible efforts of our volunteers and supporters. We couldn’t have achieved this without you.
2024 has also been a progressive year for our Community Bus. We had to put this project on the back burner for a while due to a combination of personal emergencies and vehicle faults but our bus is now fully serviced and repaired, with new tyres, batteries and a full MOT and tax.
It has found a home in Marlborough, along with a dedicated driver. A new volunteer carpenter is working on the final stages of the conversion, including building booth seating and tables upstairs. The bus already has had a full kitchen and food storage room built downstairs, solar powered electrics fitted and a serving hatch built in.
We envisage the bus as a community hub, serving meals to the hungry, or offering a friendly chat over a cuppa. We plan to use it for events, pop up cafes in isolated rural communities, and dream of owning our own land to establish a permanent home.
We aim to share our achievements with others who support our community and encourage like-minded organisations to use it too. Alone we are small but together we are mighty.
Despite the continuous struggle, our perseverance and determination have helped us overcome every obstacle. The bus stands as a beacon of strength, individuality, kindness and community.
In challenging times it’s easy to feel weighed down by uncertainty. Yet these moments also reveal resilience and courage. The unwavering support for our bus and this amazing community keeps us going.
Thank you for being part of this journey and for your continued support.
Let’s keep shining together!
May your hearts be filled with wonder as we welcome in the light.Warmest Wishes and a happy 2025, Positive Community Action
