COMMUNITY WORK AT FLO’S

We respond to emerging needs in our community through listening and working together with our community.  In particular we focus on themes of food, family and nature.

Food

We are founding members of the OX4 Food Crew partnership which is on a mission to ensure that everyone in OX4 has enough food,  is well nourished and can thrive.  This partnership of 9 grassroots organisations delivered 35,000 emergency meal parcels, over 17,000 hot cooked meals, cooking courses, and community meals in OX4. Working in partnership is hugely important for all the organisations—together we are better resourced, and can share knowledge and information about needs in the community. You can also self-refer to receive meals, and you can volunteer too! Head over to their website to find out more.

At Flo’s we also run community meals every Monday (on a Pay-As-You-Feel basis) everyone is welcome!

We are also working to partner with and support the incubation of new, diversity led social enterprises that are run by people who might otherwise face barriers to setting up their own food based social enterprise. Through our social enterprise support programme we have supported the setting up of No Vice Ice and Damascus Rose Kitchen.

We are currently working alongside Oxford Community Action to support their new social enterprise, OCA Kitchen.

Oxford Community Action is a multi ethnic community group working in OX4 running children and youth activities, providing 320 families a week with emergency food parcels and leading on community research. Their community work is open to everyone, but in particular their aim is to  support  Black & minoritized people to tackle and overcome barriers created by structural inequalities. You can read more about their work here.  OCA are looking for new ways to sustain and support their community. As such they are launching the OCA Kitchen—a new social enterprise serving food from a different nation every week—all cooked by local chefs. We look forward to tasting delicious dishes from Nigeria, Jamaica, Iraq, Malaysia, Tanzania, Pakistan, Somalia and Morocco. 100% of profits got to the community work they do. Join us every Thursday and Friday from 5:30-8pm at Flo’s Cafe. For more information, head over to our Events page.

Family

We support families through weekly activity for under 5s, community events and peer groups at Flo’s. Our work seeks to develop young children’s literacy, outdoor skills, creativity and  social skills. It also provides support for the carers of under 5s and creates a community among parents/carers. Visit our Happity page to book or find out more information.

 Join us at:

  • Story Explorers:  Monday and Fridays at 10:30am, suitable for 0-3 year olds with their parent/carer. At Story Explorers, grown ups sit with their babies/toddlers as they enjoy a 35 minute song and story class. Following a different story each week, we explore signs, rhymes, songs, parachutes games, bubbles, rhythm and movement
  • Nature Explorers: Weekly on Mondays during Term Time, from 11:30am to 12:30pm. Each week we learn about a different theme in the natural world, enjoying stories, crafts and games. We welcome all parents, carers, grandparents and childminders with young children. Free to attend, open to all.  Drop in and discover the natural world on our doorstep.
  • Rainbow Drop-In: Mondays at 1:30pm to 3:00pm. Join us for a friendly drop in celebrating and welcoming all families in the LGBTQ+ community.
    There will be toys, crafts and games for little ones, in a relaxed setting where you can meet other families and chat over a cup of tea.No need to book, just drop in on the day!
  • First Fridays at Flo’s: Join us every first Friday of the month from 4:00pm to 7:00pm for a children’s story telling session, make your own pizza and a cafe/ bar open late.

If you have an idea for a peer group you would like to set up, please get in touch (e.g. a Dad’s group, a group for LGBTQI parents, a group for parents of children with hidden health conditions or many others!): victoria@flosoxford.org.uk

Nature

Flo’s The Place in the Park, Oxford Garden Partners and The Oxford City Council Parks Department have partnered up to bring new life to a corner of the park. We have transformed the dilapidated mini gold area into the beautiful Naturescape project. This is a new outdoor space for wildlife, play and the whole community.  This a space to encourage wildlife and more diverse native ecologies. It is a space for the community to use for outdoor learning and play! The space has 4 areas: fire, air, earth and water. It is home to many native species, a sensory park and spaces to explore and learn from nature. 

Can I use it? If you run a group, school, nursery or other community activity you are welcome to use the nature-esacpe and book it. Please email Victoria@flosoxford.org.uk

Get Involved! We host regular volunteer work parties every Sunday at 2pm at Flo’s cafe (email info@flosoxford.org.uk for more info)

Visit the NaturEscape blog: www.natureescapeoxford.co.uk