With autumn well upon us, and September been and gone, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk about the topic of harvest.

In the agricultural county of Lincolnshire, food shapes our landscape. Or does our landscape shape food? Known for our flat lands and rich earth, Lincolnshire produces vast amounts of food for the entire country.

Enough to self-sustain, you may say, but still we see people in our city and county suffering from food poverty. How do we help stop this?

As the cost of food, utilities and living continues to rise, it’s tougher than ever for families to put food on the table. Our aim at Lincoln Community Grocery is to ensure that anyone struggling to feed their family has access to a good choice of affordable food.

Membership is £5.00 per year, and we offer a range of shops from £5.00 for 12 items up to £12.50 for 30 items.

The Community Grocery is about more than food. The £5.00 membership also gives free access to the courses running in store too. Whether looking to learn a new skill or want to meet new people, there will be something available for everyone.

As the kids head back to school, there are some exciting new learning opportunities for adults, thanks to Acts’ Restore programme.

Starting on 12th September (although if you miss the first session – please turn up to the second one – no trouble at all!). We are holding a Job Club every Thursday from 10:30 – 12 noon at the Central Library on Free School Lane.

Written by Caitlin Russell – Carr:

This past week the Youth team have been on the Ermine estate in the North of Lincoln delivering HAF and other schemes. We’ve been able to connect with so many different young people, had some great conversations about healthy food and done so many exciting activities. The HAF sessions this week were about mangos, cherries and kiwis – who knew a kiwi vine could grow to be 8M tall? We’ve also had some great workshops take place this week. We’ve worked with Noise Academy to deliver a DJ workshop where our young people got to learn about mixing music and have to operate a mixing desk! We’ve also taken part in our very own sports day and golfing activities to get us in the olympic spirit.

Written by Bethan Lloyd:

As the world’s eyes turn to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, we’re reminded of the incredible heights human beings can reach when they dedicate themselves to excellence. The athletes we see competing on the global stage embody years of rigorous training, unwavering determination, and an unyielding commitment to being their absolute best.

But excellence isn’t just for Olympians: it’s a principle that can—and should—guide us all, especially in the world of community transformation. 

Written by Emily Podbury:

When my 4 year old was tasked with making a scrapbook of his summer holidays I experienced a mix of reactions! Excitement, dread, creative ideas, and the overwhelming thought “what if the holidays are really boring?!” I imagined him showing off his scrapbook to his new class in September with his highlights paling in comparison to elaborate holidays abroad. Then I pulled myself together, reminding myself of a few truths:

Written by Simi Alabi

Has this question ever crossed your mind or is wellbeing a topic you’ve never bothered to explore? My intent today is to share my journey of discovering wellbeing and hopefully help you answer this question for yourself. 

Written by Naomi Butcher

I think we can all agree that stress impacts us all in many different ways, on a regular basis. As a result of stress impacting multiple areas of my life recently, I have been on a journey of understanding my stressors, why I respond the way I do and how I can minimise the impact of my stress. Working for Night Light Café has opened my eyes to just how important taking time for yourself is. By this, I don’t just mean taking half an hour to have a cup of tea – albeit wonderful when this happens! Taking time for yourself can be so much more, you can think of it as an investment! This time can be vital for enabling healthy habits and boundaries to minimise exposure to unhealthy stress. Investing in yourself can only be helpful for you and everyone around you.  

“Your trustee board is responsible for the governance of your charity and must run it in a way that complies with your charity’s governing document and the law.” The Charity Commission (2023)

Acts Trust is governed by a Board of Directors chosen from a variety of diverse backgrounds, with varying work experience and expertise. Each Director (Trustee) has  a specific portfolio which outlines the specific roles and functions they hold to assist the charity to deliver their objectives through the various projects. This article introduces each of the Directors giving details of what experience and skills they offer to Acts Trust, an outline of the portfolio of responsibility that they carry and why they have chosen to be a Director.

I wonder: what would be on your list of values you think a charity should uphold?

It may not be at the top of your list, but I think determination is a core value that keeps us moving forward. 

Here at Acts, Determination is one of our six values. We aim to approach everything with high energy and a positive attitude and channel our passions into positive action, focussing on solutions over problems. We have faith that greater things can be achieved than might seem possible and so we make decisions with confidence and boldness and ensure our commitment is thorough and reliable.