Community Roots CIC grew out of community organising work in Gloucestershire and has been working alongside communities since 2013.

Community organising remains at the heart of what we do: listening to people, building relationships, recognising the skills and strengths that already exist within communities, and supporting people to take action on the things that matter to them.

Our work has developed in response to the people and communities we have worked alongside. Over time this has included community conversations, training, resident-led activity, community spaces, food projects, volunteering, mentoring, practical work experience and social enterprise.

During the pandemic our work increasingly involved food and financial insecurity. Community Roots was the catalyst organisation for Feeding Gloucestershire. The relationships built through that work continue through our involvement with Nourishing Gloucester, the Gloucester food bank and pantry network, We Are Project Grow, Social Source and wider food partnerships. 

Today our work includes two community hubs, community pantries, Gloucester Park Community Café, training, mentoring, work experience, community engagement and developing social enterprise.

What connects it all is a belief that strong communities grow through relationships, participation and opportunity. A pantry can provide affordable food, but it can also be somewhere to volunteer, meet people and gain experience. A café can sell food, but it can also create training, work experience and enterprise opportunities. A community hub can provide space and support, but it can also become somewhere people develop ideas, organise activity and take increasing responsibility themselves.

Our role is not to do things for communities. We work alongside people, create opportunities and support the conditions in which people can participate, develop and lead.

Alongside grant-funded and commissioned work, we are developing trading and social-enterprise activity that can contribute to the long-term sustainability of Community Roots. Our aim is to build an organisation that can continue investing in people and communities without being wholly dependent on individual grants.