Category: News

The Pathfinder service, based at Coventry Foodbank’s headquarters in Binley, works with partners to offer practical and financial support, and has gone on to make a huge impact on reducing the number of local foodbank users from 30,000 to 21,000 a year.

Case Study A

A lady in her 60s came into our Willenhall food bank centre struggling with the cost of living. She was advised to apply for the Council’s Household Support Fund and given vouchers for a Social Supermarket and three fuel vouchers. On calling her again, she mentioned that she did not get the last two fuel payments and she wasn’t sure why (they had been sent but she had missed the messages). We contacted the Council on her behalf and they were re-sent. We have signposted her to CAP and Severn Trent Water Big Difference. On the calls she seemed quite cheerful but needed someone to talk to. The volunteers have all had really nice conversations with her. She is very grateful for our concern. She is still struggling but trying to make the best of it.

Case Study B

A man came into Foleshill food bank struggling with his mental health and was obviously very anxious. He explained he was originally from Iraq and has witnessed some awful things that he is struggling to deal with. He lives with his mother who is disabled and struggling financially too. The team at the food bank used the Step app to signpost him to Mind and the Refugee and Migrant Centre. They also scheduled a call back where he was signposted to the refugee centre to ask for support regarding his finances and contacted the council to ask for a Care Act assessment for his mother whom he cares for. The volunteer called back again three weeks later to find the man’s mental health is much better but he is still struggling with bills and food. He has received help from the Refugee and Migrant Centre and believes that he will have a job soon. He is managing at present.

Case Study C

He came into Queen’s Road Baptist Church food bank centre due to overpayments because of a benefit advance. The rising cost of essentials plus a change in his existing physical health condition has added to his problems. He has ongoing health issues and finds it hard to attend his hospital appointments at the moment because of having to pay for the bus journeys. He is applying for PIP with help from his son. We suggested he contact his energy provider to discuss the variation in his monthly bills and “EDF gave him £45 electric and £35 credit for his next bill. We also suggested he speak to the DWP about lessening his monthly payments because the amount he has to pay back monthly is obviously causing him hardship. He got in touch with the Law Centre who explained the terminology to use in his appeal. The DWP lessened his repayments.

Case Study D

A young lady came into the food bank because she was “struggling to make ends meet”. She is a student and was finding it difficult to find a job that fit into her studies that paid enough. She was given an appointment with the Call Back team who signposted her to job fairs in Coventry and gave her the details of The Job Shop. By the time of her second call back two weeks later she had a job because of using the information she received. She is still struggling with food and the cost of essentials but the job is topping them up so she doesn’t have to borrow for now.

Case Study E

A lady came into Willenhall food bank centre. She had a long term health condition, three children and her husband was unable to find work. Using the Step app she was signposted to CAP and Coventry Independent Advice services to help her with benefit checks. She has managed to successfully apply for PIP and has been able to pay her rent arrears off from her benefits which means she is now able to move to a ground accommodation as she is struggling with the stairs. She said she had contacted the Household Support Fund but didn’t fill the form in as it was going to take four weeks for the outcome. A volunteer encouraged her to apply anyway.

Case Study F

A lady came into a food bank centre at Queen’s Road Baptist Church who was struggling as she was a single parent with a small baby. She worked in a care home but all her wages went on her rent. She was being supported most of the time by a social supermarket with food. A call back volunteer spoke to her a week later and asked if she had started claiming child benefit but she said she didn’t think she was entitled to it. We sent her the number of the benefits agency for child benefit and suggested that she spoke to her health visitor. When we called a second time she said that she had now applied for child benefit and has spoken to her health visitor. She was now getting help from Carriers of Hope and managing.

Case Study G

A woman came into Canley food bank centre because of a benefit deduction due to a benefit advance. She was struggling a lot at the moment and the centre used the Step app to text her information regarding the Household Support Fund and Big Difference Scheme. When a volunteer spoke to her they also suggested she could get in touch with Adult Social Care as she was struggling with the activities of daily living and her daughter was helping her with these tasks. We called her back in a few weeks and she had been in touch with Adult Social Care and was waiting for the OT to come out and assess the situation. She hadn’t applied for the HSF and would welcome support to do it as she didn’t have the internet. A volunteer filled out the form with her and she received three fuel payments and a voucher to go to a Social Supermarket.

Case Study H

A woman came into Walsgrave food bank centre and she was struggling with her physical health and grieving for her daughter who passed away two years ago. She was referred for a call back and a volunteer spoke to her about getting some counselling. She said she refused to have any but would now reconsider. She is bi-polar and physically disabled. She is getting some help from her son and ex-husband with whom she has a fairly good relationship. She has had a food voucher but is struggling with cleaning supplies and toilet roll. We sent her a Sainsbury’s voucher for £20. She had now accepted some help with counselling, which she was very happy with. She continues to struggle with the cost of living but is grateful that her ex-husband is helping her with caring.

Visit: https://coventry.foodbank.org.uk/

Find out more about Pathfinder and why its future is uncertain here.

A young south Warwickshire man has published the inspirational story of how magic ‘saved his life,’ as part of his ongoing mission to advocate for autism and mental health.

‘Naughty or Neurodiverse: An Aspie’s Road To Magic’ follows Angus Baskerville’s journey from misunderstood child to professional magician, thanks to a new passion he discovered while holidaying with family as a teenager.

Bullied, excluded, expelled from three schools, Angus grew up feeling like he didn’t belong. Diagnosed with Asperger’s and ADHD at 15, he finally had a name for the chaos he had always felt.

Now aged 29, he is enjoying huge national success with a magic career that includes a return to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, on the back of a sell-out summer one-man show, Hidden Powers, and series of big ticket event performances.

He is also the proud recipient of a clutch of national awards, including last year, The Prestige Award, Ladies First Inspirational Awards and The Derek Award for standout acts at The Fringe.

Despite a packed schedule, Angus, from Binton, is still finding time to stay true to his pledge to ‘pay it forward’ by helping others overcome the challenges of neurodiversity through workshops, holiday camps, mentoring and public speaking.

He recalls: “School was a major challenge for me. Teachers didn’t understand me because I was behaving very differently to the other students, and I was always known by everyone as the ‘naughty one.’ I spent so much time in the naughty corner, at one school the teacher even named it after me!

“Lack of understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome, when everyone thinks you’re being odd or naughty when in actual fact it’s something you can’t help, can be a first-class ticket to serious mental health problems and it’s why I urge people to fight to get their diagnosis as soon as possible.”

“It wasn’t until I found magic that I was able to make friends for the very first time. My social skills improved a lot.”

As a Christmas gift in 2014 Angus’ parents Neil and Kate enrolled him on a magic course at the famous Davenport’s in London, bolstered by which he went on to compete in – and win – his sixth form talent contest. He earned money through his talent for the first time, performing tricks for tips in his local pub.

At 19, Angus joined Leamington and Warwick Magic Society and, in 2020 he was accepted as a member of the prestigious Magic Circle. Today, he is in high demand among the magic and public speaking circuits, performing to a who’s who list of rich and famous at prestigious venues across the country, including Windsor Castle, The Grosvenor Hotel Park Lane and Greenwich Theatre in London.

He’s now looking forward to mesmerising Edinburgh audiences once again throughout August with his all-new show on the famous Royal Mile.

He said: “Edinburgh Fringe has been a massive highlight of my career that created a lot of opportunities for me. It is known to be the third biggest ticketed event in the world behind The Olympics and The World Cup so I feel extremely privileged.”

Angus is also a regular keynote speaker at autism conferences, conventions and workshops around the country, and a proud neurodiversity ambassador for numerous charities and bodies.

“I think if I had been diagnosed earlier things would have been different,” he said. “I just felt like I was a bad person and the whole world was against me. I just didn’t want to be here,” he said.

His mental health battles suffered another setback in 2022 when, while waiting for a train at Warwick Parkway Station, he was witness to a suicide. This traumatic incident eventually led him to train in mental health first aid and suicide and self-harm awareness and prevention and, for the past two years, Angus has found solace in his volunteer work on Stamp Out Suicide’s charity helpline.

“I’ve learned so much about mental health and other people and about autism and how you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it. There’s always hope.”

After 13 years in the making, Angus now hopes his book will help others not only come to terms with, but embrace their diagnosis.

He said: “I have written this book to show people what it’s like to grow up with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I want to share what helped me and what didn’t. I also want people to understand how being different isn’t bad – it’s powerful. I believe the people with autism have amazing gifts to offer the world.

“I’ve always been different. Not naughty. Not worse, not broken. Just different. Some people see autism as a disability, others see it as a gift. There are challenges – lots of them – but there are also strengths.

“This book is my way of giving back. I want to help people find out what autism looks like from the inside. I want to help parents, teachers and kids find hope and practical ideas. I want neurodivergent people of all ages to know they’re not alone.

He added: “This book is such a proud moment for me. There were countless times when I thought about giving up and considered just deleting the whole thing! But it’s always been my dream to share my story with the world and the feedback so far has been positive.

“Life on the spectrum can be tough but with support, self-awareness and the right environment, it can also be joyful, meaningful and full of magic. If even one person reads it and feels seen, understood or inspired, then it’s all been worth it.”

‘Naughty Or Neurodiverse: An Aspie’s Road To Magic’ is available as a Kindle edition for £6.99 or in paperback for £17.99 from Amazon HERE.

Visit: Angus Baskerville Magic HERE.