Tessa Bradley has been praised for her “unwavering dedication”, as well as raising countless funds and overseeing the monumental development of Llandrindod Wells Foodbank, which now operates an advice and drop-in centre out of a former spa town nightclub.
Tessa, 70, founded the foodbank in 2009, while providing a drop-in service at a local church.
“It started in a cupboard, now we have a huge building, which is used well by the community,” said Tessa, proudly.
“It was literally a cupboard, in a church. I was helping with a drop-in service within the church, where young men and young women were coming in, and they were struggling.
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“We’d give them lunch and coffee and eventually they started asking if we had food to help tide them over to pay day.
“Children’s services then contacted me and said there were four families locally who were really desperate and needed help; and that’s when we realised the problem was bigger and there was a need for it.”
The foodbank joined the Trussell Trust’s network of UK foodbanks in 2013 and became an independent charity in 2017.
“We really moved forward after joining the Trussell Trust,” added Tessa.
“Now, it’s more than just handing out food. We have an advice centre, where people can come and get help and advice, so they don’t have to use a foodbank.”
An injection of lottery funding last year helped Tessa and the team transform its premises, which it moved into in 2021, into an advice centre.
“The grant was big for the centre, the organisation and also the Llandrindod community as a whole,” she said.
“We are now open to the entire community, it’s for everybody. We decided to talk to people coming in; we wanted to ask them what was missing.
“Here, you are able to talk to a person, not just online, which was important to people coming in.
“We spoke with clients and the wider community, we went out to find out what they wanted, as well as other agencies, and this is why we went down the advice centre route.
“It’s really enhanced it [the foodbank service]. We’re not just about giving food out and being a sticking plaster, we’re trying to actually help people, help them out of the situation they’re in.
“We want to give them a hand up, rather than a hand out, and the community has responded.”
Tessa added: “It feels good to be going now and handing over something that is well respected in the community, well used and well recognised.”
Tessa admits she will find walking away from the foodbank tough, but is adamant it is being left in good hands.
(Image: NQ)
Lynne Frost replaces her as project manager and will work together with Anna Potgieter, the foodbank manager, to take the venue forward. Tessa will, however, remain in the background as she is carrying on as a trustee.
Paying tribute to her, Lynne said: “Tessa, the founder of the foodbank, is retiring after many years of unwavering dedication.
“She has raised countless funds, oversaw the rebuilding of the foodbank and Oasis Advice and Support Centre, forging links with hundreds of agencies, and helping thousands of families.
“She is much loved by the staff and the public and is very well respected in the community.”
To find out more about Llandrindod Wells Foodbank, call in at its headquarters, located at Oasis (The Venue), on Spa Road.
Alternatively, contact 07519 839189, email info@llandrindod.foodbank.org.uk, visit the website, at llandrindod.foodbank.org.uk or check out the Facebook page.
