News / 1625 Independent People
‘Connecting to people and local communities is gold for us’
Aromas of butternut squash filled the air inside 1625 Independent People’s head office.
A cooking class was in full swing on Old Market Street.
Inside the kitchen a young woman enthusiastically chopped carrots alongside a staff member. Vegetable soup was on the menu.
is needed now More than ever
The culinary activity transformed the office space into a homely environment.
1625 Independent People’s office is located on Old Market Street. Photo: Rachel Sutherland
The ingredients and bread to go with it were handpicked with the cost of living crisis in mind. The total cost of the meal came to £1.
“You just can’t knock it!”, the staff member said, stirring the soup with one hand.
1625 supports young people in the South West who are homeless, at risk of being homeless or who are leaving care.
It is not just cooking classes on offer, 1625 provides up to 500 young people at one time with safe accommodation.
Katy Greenlaw, the charity’s communications and community fundraising manager, said ultimately their aim is to allow the young people they support to feel like “Bristol is their home”.
Katy Greenlaw, 1625’s communications and community fundraising manager. Photo: Rachel Sutherland
1625 also helps with money to go towards SIM cards and ‘move coaches’ to enable an individual to have full support when changing accommodation.
As part of its services, it provides education courses, training and support with employment opportunities.
To add to the list of ways the charity helps, it is set to open an independent shop in November at its Kingsley Hall office.
The shop will stock a range of essential, donated items a young person may vitally need when moving accommodation.
From kitchen utensils to feminine hygiene products, towels and toiletries, individuals can book a slot to visit the shop with their support worker to access what they need for free.
The charity’s independent shop will stock a range of essential, donated items a young person may vitally need when moving accommodation. Photo: Rachel Sutherland
The shop was partly funded by StreetSmart, in 2022. The funds came from the charity’s annual campaign to raise funds for charities and projects working to tackle homelessness with the help of a handful of restaurants.
Restaurants signed up to StreetSmart’s campaign add an optional £1 to customers’ bills from November through to December.
The money is then sent through to StreetSmart and thanks to support from LandAid, every penny goes to local homelessness projects.
Katy mentioned the importance this campaign has had on 1625 and the people it supports. She said: “Connecting to people and local communities is gold for us. We heavily rely on the local community for support, and we want our young people to thrive and to get to a point where they need less and less support as they go on.
“Knowing that your local restaurant is doing something to support you really helps with young people’s identity, knowing they’re being supported by the community around them.”
Berthas has joined the StreetSmart campaign for another year. Photo courtesy of StreetSmart – Pam Lloyd PR
The Bristol restaurants taking part in this year’s StreetSmart campaign are:
Wilsons
Fishers
RockSalt
Pasta Loco
Bulrush
Bosco
Little Hollows
Snobby’s
Poco Tapas (during December)
BOX-E
Root
Bertha’s
Harbour House
Caper & Cure
Klosterhaus
Harvey Nichols
Pizzarova
Marmo
Bokman
Main photo: Rachel Sutherland
Read next:
- Top Bristol restaurants part of scheme to help tackle homelessness
- Nurturing a passion for cooking in Knowle West
- 1625 Independent People continue to support young people facing homelessness in South West
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
