One of the projects we work with to support families experiencing food poverty in the upper Calder Valley is the Cornholme Community Hub in association with Community Foundation for Calderdale. Cornholme Community Hub will be launching a fundraising challenge as it starts a new chapter.

The team at the Old Library in Cornholme currently runs a weekly food drop-in evey Monday which helps dozens of local families, supplying everything from tinned and dried goods to laundry pods and shower gel as well as warm clothing and bedding during the winter months.

During the COVID-19 outbreak funding was made available from central government and a range of other bodies including the Community Foundation for Calderdale, Todmorden Town Council and Calderdale Ward Forum.

Major supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi in Todmorden have also donated fresh fruit and veg and frozen food like pizzas, ice-cream and fish which are distributed every Monday from 10.30am to 12noon

Now volunteers are asking people who can make a regular donation to get in touch and ensure the building can once again become a community hub with a long-term future.

The group is asking people to set up a monthly standing order to guarantee the Old Library’s future.

Lead volunteer Liz Thorpe said:

“We are really grateful to all those organisations and individuals in Calderdale and beyond who have contributed over the past 12 months and helped us keep the food bank going during very tough times for many people. However now a lot of the restrictions have been lifted we would like to restore some of the other facilities there used to be available like the cafe, jobs club and parent and toddler groups. We would also like to make the building usable again by the community groups who used to come here.

“We are continuing to pursue funding opportunities but we also need a guaranteed monthly income we can use to help maintain the building, pay our outgoings and keep the food bank going too. So, we are hoping people will come forward and help us achieve that.”

Steve Duncan, CEO of Community Foundation for Calderdale, said: “It’s great news that the Cornholme Old Library has opened its doors in a gradual way. This is a positive sign that things are gradually returning to some form of normality after an horrendous 18 months. The voluntary sector has some way to go to recover from the negative impact of the pandemic and we all need to rally to keep these amazing organisations going. 

Community Foundation for Calderdale is proud to be supporting this important community anchor and we encourage people to sign up to their monthly giving campaign to help the former library get back on its feet.

Bank details are Sort Code 60-83-01 Account number 20338192 and no donation is too small – please let us know if you can help by contacting Old Library Treasurer Denis Skelton on deniss1917@icloud.com.