Bishop Gavin was among the guests welcoming His Royal Highness The Duke of Edingburgh to the Branch Trust in Chipping Norton last week.
The Duke visited the charity six months after it opened providing crucial support services to up to 200 people in rural Oxfordshire every week.
In 2019, with the help of the Diocese of Oxford, and the generosity of many local donors, The Branch Trust were able to purchase and start the renovation of the old NatWest bank in Chipping Norton’s Market Place - with the vision of converting an empty and derelict building into a useful community space, where local people could access the services they need to help them break down barriers and create opportunities for all members of the community to thrive. This work has grown out of the vision of St Mary’s Church, Chipping Norton and The Branch is committed to welcoming and respecting everyone equally, wanting them to know that they are seen, heard, valued and belong.
During his visit, the Duke said: “Thank you very much indeed for inviting me to come and visit The Branch to see the amazing project that you have managed to bring to fruition. I would like to congratulate you on not just having the vision but actually seeing it all the way through. It has obviously been quite an adventure to get to this point and evidently also, just by seeing the sheer number of people you have engaged with, has been something which has been much desired and is doing some fantastic work.”
During the Royal visit the Duke explored how The Branch Trust is addressing critical service gaps in West Oxfordshire, where 61% of residents live in rural areas and often struggle to access essential support services.
Emma Kennedy, CEO of The Branch Trust said: “We were honoured to show The Duke of Edinburgh how we are creating rural solutions to local problems by drawing services back into the market town. Evidence shows that young and old people are not accessing the services that they need to thrive, as they are expected to travel to Banbury, Witney or Oxford. 61% of West Oxfordshire is rural, and living in a market town or the surrounding villages presents additional challenges. We want to ensure that people who need youth, family, mental health, or any other support are able to access this in their local town.
“As a charity, we love to work collaboratively, recognising that we can achieve more together. We are delighted to offer space to Citizens Advice, Oxfordshire Mind, OXPIP, CAP Debt Centre, and Oxfordshire Discovery College and on Fridays, we have partnered with the NHS to host a Keystone Mental Health and Wellbeing Team - these are all services that previously people had to make a 30-40 mile round trip to access. We also take referrals from local schools, health visitors, GPs and Social Services into our own courses where we are targeting early intervention for maximum impact.”
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