Common Ground Community Cafe (360G-CFSurrey-A791081)
Funding Organisation
£10,000
Recipient Organisation
Specialist professional advice on establishing a financially sustainable community café in Epsom.
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Grant Details
| Award Date | 2026-06-11T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Last Modified | 2026-08-31T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Planned Dates: End Date | 2027-07-01T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Planned Dates: Duration (months) | 12 |
| Planned Dates: Start Date | 2026-07-01T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Primary issue | Financial exclusion and financial illiteracy |
| Amount Awarded | 10000 |
| Grant Programme: Code | 2026/27 Strategic |
| Grant Programme: Title | Strategic Transformation Programme |
| Impact Category | Improve life skills, education, employability and enterprise |
| Amount Applied For | 10000 |
| Primary age group | Adults (26 – 65) |
| Primary beneficiary | Disadvantaged / Low Income |
| Beneficiary Location: Name | Epsom and Ewell 008F |
| Beneficiary Location: Geographic Code | E01034290 |
| Beneficiary Location: Country Code | GB |
| Beneficiary Location: Geographic Code Type | LSOA |
| Recipient Org: Web Address | https://goodcompany.org.uk/ |
| Recipient Org: Description | Good Company Surrey was established in April 2022 as a registered charity. It’s the name of the new trust that pulls all our poverty and community work together. Epsom & Ewell Foodbank, which was set up nearly 10 years ago to provide emergency food and support to local people in crisis, was originally part of Ewell Christian Fellowship trust; but, as we grew, we knew we needed a new structure to reflect the breadth of activity, with the mission of leading our community to a poverty-free future where everyone can afford life’s essentials without the need for food banks, hence Good Company Surrey. The name itself embraces what we stand for: to be a positive force for good and to be part of a compassionate community that supports every individual to lead a fulfilling life. The Epsom & Ewell Refugee Network was founded in 2015 by an enthusiastic group of volunteers and has grown into a larger initiative. The project sits under The Good Company. EERN supports refugees and asylum seekers who come to our area to help them settle, integrate and build a future for themselves and their families. NEW as of 2026/27 Strategic Good Company’s mission is to see a community free from poverty, where everyone can afford life’s essentials. Our vision is for consistent, coordinated advice to be accessible to all, for local policy to be shaped by people with lived experience of hardship, and for local resilience to be rooted in strong community connections rather than crisis response. We are an independent Surrey charity, established in 2022, growing out of Epsom and Ewell Foodbank, which was founded in 2012 in response to rising local need. We are part of the Trussell network and operate across three boroughs in East Surrey. Our objectives Our current objectives are to engage more people with lived experience in co-production and governance, including as trustees, and to reduce long-term reliance on foodbanks. We aim to increase people’s skills, confidence and resilience, reduce the number of clients who leave without accessing the full support available to them, and increase access to early help through our Advice Cafés. We want to reach people earlier, respond more holistically, and ensure our work is shaped by those who use it. What we do Foodbanks We run foodbank centres five days a week across East Surrey. In 2025, 6,266 people received emergency food through our centres. While demand peaked during the pandemic, the total number of people fed has fallen by 38 percent compared with 2023. This reflects fewer people needing to return repeatedly, rather than first-time need. Crisis is still present, but preventative support is beginning to have an effect. Each visit is an opportunity not just to provide food, but to listen, understand underlying issues and connect people to advice and longer-term support. Advice Cafés Our Advice Cafés are welcoming, community-based drop in spaces offering free support on issue such as debt, benefits, housing and energy. We work in partnership with more than 25 agencies, including Citizens Advice, Christians Against Poverty, local housing associations and mental health services. Around 1,000 people accessed advice through the Cafés in 2025. Agencies work side-by-side, reducing the need for multiple appointments and helping people navigate complex systems. Community Pantries Our two Community Pantries in Epsom and Banstead provide affordable food in a dignified way. Members pay £7 per week and receive around £40 worth of groceries, including fresh produce. The Pantries are also community hubs, offering cooking classes, saving schemes, energy advice and social activities. Members help shape the service through Pantry Steering Groups. Our surveys show members save money, eat more healthily and feel more in control of their finances, as well as less isolated and more confident. Refugee Network Through our Refugee Network, we support newly settled families to build relationships and confidence. We provide language support, shared activities and community events that bring together long standing residents and newer arrivals, helping reduce isolation and foster belonging. East Surrey Poverty Truth Commission Our Poverty Truth Commission brought together people with lived experience and civic and business leaders for sustained dialogue over two years. The recommendations developed through this work continue to inform our services and those of our partners. The problems people face The people we support face a combination of pressures that make it difficult to afford food and other essentials. These pressures often overlap and can escalate quickly. Low income and insecure work are key drivers. In our last foodbank client survey in May 2024, 21 percent said job loss or reduced hours had contributed to them needing to use the foodbank, and 11 percent identified low paid/ insecure work as a factor. Rising living costs are placing increasing strain on household finances. The cost of food, energy and housing has risen sharply, and 38 percent of respondents said this had contributed to them needing the foodbank. Debt is common and often linked to sudden income shocks such as illness, redundancy or relationship breakdown. 26 percent of respondents said debt repayment was a reason they needed to use the foodbank. The benefits system can be difficult to navigate and often does not provide enough to cover basic living costs. In our May 2024 survey, 21 percent of people reported a problem or delay with benefits, and 23 percent said benefit levels were too low. Ill health and disability are closely linked to food insecurity, with 29 percent citing this as a factor. Mental health challenges are also common, with 28 percent identifying poor mental health as contributing to their situation. Financial stress both contributes to and results from poor mental health. Particular disadvantage We support people from across the community, but some groups are more likely to face severe or ongoing disadvantage. Economic disadvantage is widespread, including poverty, unemployment and insecure work. We support people facing language and educational barriers, particularly within refugee and asylum-seeking communities. Many clients experience isolation, discrimination and a lack of support networks. Stigma around needing help can affect confidence and delay people from seeking support. Disabled people and those with long-term health conditions are overrepresented among our clients and often face higher costs and barriers to work. People with insecure immigration status or limited recourse to public funds are at high risk of destitution. Households in temporary accommodation face additional pressures, including limited cooking facilities and frequent moves. We are also seeing more older people on fixed incomes struggling with rising costs. Our impact and strategic direction Across all our projects this year, we supported around 4,500 unique individuals. Through food provision, successful benefit claims, debt management and access to grants, our work generates over £1 million each year in measurable financial gains and savings for clients. Our strategy focuses on three priorities. First, participation, embedding lived experience at every level, including through our Lived Experience Action Panel and pathways into trusteeship. Second, prevention, connecting people to advice earlier before problems escalate. Third, influencing, working with local partners to build coordinated responses to hardship. Through the Poverty Pledge, now with over 436 signatures, we are encouraging employers, charities and public bodies across Surrey to reflect on their role in reducing financial insecurity. NEW as of 2026/27 MR1 Good Company aims to be a positive force for good, bringing people and organisations together in pursuit of our vision for a poverty free future. We are determined to ensure that everyone in our community can afford the essentials and has the opportunity to lead a good, fulfilling life. Over the years, as food insecurity in our community has become more entrenched, we have developed long-term, creative solutions to local poverty. As part of these solutions, Good Company runs 5 Foodbanks, 3 Advice Cafe’s, a Support Network, Epsom and Ewell Refugee Network and Good Company Pantries (Epsom and Banstead) We opened Epsom Pantry in May 2022. The Pantry was set up to prevent a dependence on the foodbank and provide greater dignity and choice to people experiencing poverty and food insecurity in our community. In September 2024, we opened our second pantry in Banstead. Our Epsom and Banstead Pantries are community hubs and food shops where members can come and pay £5 to choose £40-45 of food each week. We have 330 active members who shop on a weekly basis. In 2025 across both pantries, our members made 8,867 shops, which equates to savings of over £350,000 for our members. As well as providing healthy and affordable food, our Pantries are places to access information and support, learn new skills and get involved as a volunteer. In the past year we have put on air fryer and slow cooker cooking classes, energy workshops, crafting classes, a Pantry Saving Scheme, and more. We also run the Epsom and Banstead Steering Groups which provide opportunities for members to take an active role in the running of our pantries. |
| Recipient Org: Charity Number | 1197493 |