Wakefield community group grows to support almost 200 people a week

Bless Community Support provides a community space to help people make friends, find new hobbies and take care of their mental health. With the new unit, the group is now able to provide a space for meditation.

The group was formed after founder Julie Green set up the Covid Crisis Project in 2020 to deliver hot meals to those in need. She realised, even as lockdown lifted, that many people were struggling with loneliness. This is when the group became Bless Community Support and found out about a commercial property managed by WDH in Hemsworth.

As demand for support continued to grow, the group didn’t have enough space but with the support of WDH, took on the second unit to provide a new meditation area. Both units have been completely refitted and are ready to be the perfect place for people to come together. The group now supports 190 people a week.

Julie Green, Founder of Bless Community Support, said: “We really love what we do at Bless Community Support. It is heartwarming to see people overcome their fears, for example not wanting to leave the house, and start making friends and growing confidence here. It’s amazing how much we’ve grown as we now run a full programme of groups for free and recently started opening four days a week. We’re looking forward to continuing to serve the local community and what the future has in store!”

Gary Lindley, Commercial Property and Acquisitions Manager at WDH, added: “It has been great to see Bless Community Support go from strength to strength. We want to support all the businesses and charities that work in our units to be the best they can be. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the group.”

Find out more about Bless Community Support on their website: www.blesscommunitysupport.org.uk