Aim

To deliver essential, immediate food poverty relief and to secure lasting food security through food education and money management skills.

Blacon Beacon is a dedicated charity supporting the Blacon neighborhood near Chester, one of the most deprived areas in England (ranked in the bottom 5% nationally-Indices of Deprivation 2025). 

We know that poverty in Britain is an extremely complex issue- linking to large scale political choices, the financial aftermath of Covid, the rapid rise in food costs and changes to job security. We recognise that humans need to have food and water in order to function. Blacon Beacon also acknowledges the complexity of overcoming unhealthy behaviours that have been passed on through generations, within families and the community. 

Nevertheless, we believe that day to day choices we make can have a negative effect on our households financial and physical wellbeing. We also know that medium or long term positive rolemodelling and food education can help us to break unhealthy generational/ community habits.

Our vision is two-fold: to deliver essential, immediate relief and to secure lasting food and financial security through education and support.
We do this in the following ways:
-Emergency Support: Our Foodbank Hub offers immediate help for households facing extreme food poverty. We also offer face to face access to essential services including Citizen's Advice, Sure Start, Blacon Councillors, and PCSOs.
-Cost of Living Relief: Our Community Pantry provides heavily subsidised food, drink, and toiletries to low-income households struggling with the cost of living. Households pay less than 30% of the true cost.

However, the funding we are asking for from Aviva Foundation is for:-

-Long-Term Resilience Tactics.

1. Free and non judgemental budgeting advice and signposting/handholding households struggling with with balancing their income and outgoings. 

This support includes triage to Citizens Advice, and matching eligible clients to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) pathways.  Completing Income & Expenditure forms to propose sustainable repayment structures, setting up statutory repayment holidays, and applying for Low-Income Water Discounts.

A major part of what we aims to do is to help households "know where money goes each week".  This is done through full statement audits, creation of digital banking toolsets and immediate cancellation of forgotten premium subscriptions/services.

2. Cooking classes and recipe bags to help Blacon residents develop the skills to cook nutritious, nourishing meals on a tight budget. 

3.Digital Mentoring helping people struggling with digital exclusion-this support is especially vital to older people who are often missing out on benefits. extra payments or discounts due to not having the ability to engage with online forms or payments.  

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 28th September 2026 at 12:02pm