Situated at the heart of an area facing significant challenges in Southampton, Monty's Community Hub is a grassroots charity that has become a crucial part of the local community.

The organisation works primarily to help children and families, providing an invaluable space for making friends, building connections, learning and sharing skills.

Monty's Community Hub was set up by a group of local residents who recognised the need to tackle community issues through a combination of skills, knowhow and resources.  The prospects for the neighbourhood have been hampered by the problems associated with being part of an area in the lowest 7% for health and employment, the lowest 3% for education and income, and the lowest 1% for crime in the UK.

It is also among the most physically inactive areas in the region, with declining mental health and physical activity, particularly among young people.

For the last decade, Monty’s mission has been to take a holistic approach to supporting a more positive future for residents. As Community Hub Manager, Anna Jacklin, explains,

“I often describe us as hyperlocal – both in terms of the people we are supporting and also the 50+ volunteers who enable us to run our activities. You can see most of their houses from the window at Monty’s.

“We deliver services to these local people through an ongoing process of community consultation and co-design, ultimately to help those within the neighbourhood flourish. What’s really lovely is that, over time, we’ve become known as the Monty’s family – which I think is a sign of how impactful and meaningful the hub has become to people’s lives.”

The charity was recently successful in a funding bid to extend its health and wellbeing initiatives, receiving a grant of £40,000 to be spread over two years from the Greggs Foundation Community Grant Programme. The funding is being used for the ongoing delivery of these support services, as well as to develop new, impactful projects. 

Community activities to nurture aspirations

Currently, Monty’s team of volunteers run an array of community development activities.  These range from youth clubs, health and wellbeing groups and sessions for young parents and older people, through to holiday activities, mentoring and leadership development.

Sessions to support mental health and wellbeing include a Community Choir, with a focus on singing as a tool for mental health, as well as a monthly Wander & Wonder session with  guided nature walks mixed with meditation and reflection.  Pilates classes and mindful Create Your Calm art sessions all add to the mix.

Cycling has also become a key activity in bringing people together and increasing confidence.  There are sessions for all age ranges, including a toddler bike club and bike rides for adults, families and women.

Monty’s thriving youth and children’s programme is expanding horizons and raising aspirations, too. There are youth groups for children aged 4-18, a homework club, and trips and activities designed to carefully bring youngsters out of their comfort zones and into environments which build their confidence.

Anna comments,

“There is a weekly Stay & Play group for pre-schoolers and parents, a group for older people to meet and socialise, and a weekly craft group for adults. One of our newest sessions is a weekly drop-in designed to help with managing bills, applying for jobs and filling out benefits forms.

“We are working to reduce food waste and food poverty, too. This includes a community pantry, a weekly community lunch, cooking sessions for families, young people and adults, and a small community growing space where tomatoes, peppers and strawberries are picked at the right time of year.”

The impact of receiving funding support from the Greggs Foundation

Monty’s Community Hub has always been volunteer-led, according to Anna. And to coordinate the army of locals who generously donate their valuable time and expertise, a small staff of paid employees serve to facilitate projects and manage activities. She says,

“The funding from the Greggs Foundation is enabling us to keep mature projects running, whilst allowing us to explore new projects based on what local people need and want.

“In particular, this core funding increases our capacity to deliver our adult stream of work. As we’ve evolved as an organisation, it’s become clear that this is crucial to helping families – because if we’re just working with kids but not supporting the parents, then the opportunities to improve lives meaningfully can be quite limited.

“So it’s been great that the Greggs Foundation funding gives us the flexibility to build our own infrastructure so that we can evolve our support initiatives. And that’s important because sometimes the success of an individual programme doesn’t just lie one or two years down the line.

“For me, it’s the generational change that’s most profound and impactful. For some of the most vulnerable people in society, it can take months or even years for them to be comfortable enough to ask for help and begin to turn things around.”

She continues,

"On a human level, it’s also so nice to see that the Greggs Foundation are genuinely interested in the work we are doing. We really appreciate that the Foundation team have even made the time and travel commitment to come down and see what we’re up to here.”