Bournemouth Food Bank
Bournemouth Foodbank was founded in 2007 out of a simple garden shed at a local church community. With a heartfelt mission to support older, vulnerable people struggling to put food on the table, their journey began with the dedication of a few compassionate volunteers.
Their team of dedicated staff and volunteers grew substantially to meet the rising needs within the community over the past two decades, offering more comprehensive support to those in crisis. Over the 2023/2024 period, Bournemouth Food Bank fed over 13,000 people, nearly 26% of whom were children. Together, they distributed more than 115,000 meals to individuals and families across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP).
Jigsaw were introduced and asked to redesign the volunteer space at Bournemouth Foodbank by Mia Billam-Smith, a former designer at Jigsaw, and her husband Chris Billam-Smith, an ambassador for the charity. The existing volunteer space was tucked into a corner of the warehouse, cluttered and tired looking with a particularly dated kitchenette. The volunteers needed more space for team meetings, catch ups over coffee and taking a few minutes to just relax during their busy shift.
We designed a relaxing, cosy and functional space that the hard-working volunteers will feel comfortable in. The foodbank desperately wanted a space to host all the volunteers for briefings, meetings and catch ups, so we made sure to maximise the seating capacity with comfy sofas, bar stools and a dining area.
We wanted to incorporate pops of colour into the scheme so introduced shades of costal blue and warm olive green. We opted for a quirky gallery wall featuring prints of the local area to bring some personality to the space. Storage was very important, so we installed two large units which also act as dividers to separate the calm volunteer space from the busy warehouse.
We reached out to our database of trusted suppliers for support with the project. Howdens Kitchens in Dorchester kindly donated a sleek and modern kitchenette, and Ross at Dominey Contractors donated his time to rip out the existing kitchen and fit the new one. They also generously donated a hot water system to replace the broken existing one, ensuring the volunteers had everything they needed in their new space.
The team at Bournemouth Foodbank played an integral role throughout the 6 month design process, actively participating in key design decisions and providing valuable input at every stage. Their involvement ensured that the final design met their needs and reflected the functional requirements of the space. We made regular visits to the site to collaborate with the team, allowing us to closely assess the layout and adjust as needed. This hands-on approach helped us maximize the available space, ensuring that it was both practical and welcoming for volunteers.
“We have been blessed with a wonderfully new volunteer lounge at our foodbank warehouse, thanks to Jigsaw Interior Design. As a local charity, we had to work within a tight budget from grant funding which Emily was completely sympathetic to. The design specification captured all of our existing colour schemes, with beautiful details such as the Bournemouth framed pictures. The added value we received from the team was the dedication to achieving such a transformation by contacting other suppliers so that even more could be achieved within the budget. For example, thanks to Emily, Howdens donated a kitchen to our area. We cannot thank you enough for providing a warm, welcoming and calming space for our volunteers. Without our warehouse volunteers, we couldn’t distribute the volume of emergency food each week at rates of rising demand across Bournemouth.” – Rio, Designated Lead
