Award-winning charity Best Mates hosted the first Community Impact Round Table in May, creating a space for organisations to share ideas, build connections and strengthen support across the community.
Earlier this year, the charity was named Charity of the Year at the South West Business Awards in Swindon. During the event, co-founder Jeff Tucker won a business lunch for eight people in a raffle and decided to use it to bring together charities, community groups and organisations from across the region.
Founded by Jeff Tucker and Carl McCulloch, Best Mates provides financial, emotional and physical support to adults aged 18 and over facing life’s challenges. The charity was created after the founders’ own experiences highlighted the importance of having the right support around you during difficult times and wanting to ensure others didn’t have to face those challenges alone.
Since launching less than three years ago, Best Mates has supported more than 280 beneficiaries through one-to-one support, Walk & Talk Wednesday groups, signposting and access to specialist services where needed.
The aim of the Community Impact Round Table was simple: to bring good people together to talk, listen, share experiences and better understand the support available across the local community.
“One of the things we’ve learned since launching Best Mates is that there are some incredible organisations doing fantastic work across our communities, but many people don’t always know what support is available,” said Jeff Tucker, co-founder of Best Mates.
“The Community Impact Round Table was created to bring those organisations together, helping us learn from one another, build stronger connections and ultimately make it easier for people to find the right help when they need it.”
Representatives from organisations like Big Breakfast Plus, CALM and Prospect Hospice attended the first session, discussing the challenges facing local communities, sharing knowledge and exploring ways to work together for the benefit of the people they support.
Following positive feedback from attendees, Best Mates is exploring plans for future Community Impact Round Tables, with a focus on maintaining meaningful conversations while bringing together even more organisations from across the region.
“The conversations were honest, open and incredibly valuable,” said Jeff.
“We had people from different organisations sharing their experiences, talking about the challenges they see and discussing how we can better support our communities. Everyone left knowing a little more about the help that’s available locally.”
“The response to the first round table was incredibly positive and we’re excited to see where it leads,” said Jeff.
“If we keep talking, keep connecting and keep supporting one another, we can make an even bigger difference in the communities we serve.”
Best Mates is an award-winning welfare charity providing confidential, lived experience support to people facing life’s toughest moments because no one should face them alone. Founded by Jeff Tucker and Carl McCulloch, the charity provides financial, emotional and physical support, helping adults access the guidance, services and practical help they need during difficult times.
Alongside one-to-one support, Best Mates runs Walk N Talk Wednesdays, community initiatives and fundraising events across the region. For more information, visit https://bestmates.org/.