Small grant helps scale up vital local food support in Cornton
A Stirling charity has converted a short‑term pilot into a sustained local service after receiving a £5,000 grant from Virgin Unite’s Local Legends fund, expanding provision for people facing food insecurity in the Cornton area.
Support for Families, a Stirling‑based community organisation, used the funding to grow its Aunties Café and community fridge project into a year‑round programme offering hot meals, take‑home food parcels, hygiene products and wider wellbeing support to residents struggling with food poverty, isolation and financial hardship.
Scale of delivery during the funded period
During the period covered by the grant, the project recorded substantial activity and reach in the local community. Key figures reported by the charity include:
- 2,160 visits to the service;
- more than 10,000 hot meals served;
- over 6,000 take‑home food parcels distributed;
- more than 1,000 hygiene items provided.
Survey results gathered by the charity during the funding period also show improvements in attendees’ wellbeing: 82% of participants reported feeling less isolated and 76% said their mental wellbeing had improved.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Visits | 2,160 |
| Hot meals served | 10,000+ |
| Take‑home parcels | 6,000+ |
| Hygiene items | 1,000+ |
| Reduced isolation | 82% |
| Improved mental wellbeing | 76% |
How the grant was used
According to the charity, the Local Legends award was allocated across a range of operational costs that enabled the transition from a pilot to a consistent community service. Expenditure included food and ingredients, staff time, kitchen equipment, hygiene supplies, takeaway containers, hall hire and community outreach.
"Virgin Unite’s Local Legends grant helped us turn our community café and community fridge into a lifeline for Cornton. It didn’t just fund meals, it strengthened wellbeing, reduced crisis pressure and brought our community together."
The programme in which Support for Families participated is part of a wider initiative by Virgin Unite that has distributed a total of £1 million across 161 charities and community interest companies since it launched in 2023. The fund supports organisations tackling poverty, educational inequality, health, human rights and social isolation, and recipients are nominated by Virgin employees who volunteer with the groups.
Local implications and next steps
For Stirling residents, the expansion of the Aunties Café and the community fridge represents a steadying of local support at a time when many communities across Scotland continue to feel pressure from the cost of living. The figures published by Support for Families indicate both high demand and a tangible local benefit in reducing isolation and improving mental wellbeing.
The charity’s ability to convert a pilot into a regular offering also underscores the role that relatively small, targeted grants can play in strengthening grassroots support networks. Local stakeholders and voluntary groups in Stirling may view this as an example of how seed funding can be used to build services that are responsive to community needs.
Support for Families did not set out publicly in the material released to say how long the year‑round service will be sustained beyond the funded period, nor whether it is seeking further funding sources. The Local Legends programme’s emphasis on volunteer nominations suggests an ongoing relationship between funders and community programmes that could unlock further support or partnerships.
For people in Cornton and surrounding Stirling communities, the expanded service will continue to offer both immediate practical help — meals, parcels and hygiene items — and the less tangible but crucial benefits of community contact and improved wellbeing.
