Hope for the Community – Pontypool Town Centre

Welcome to our Community Cafe & Grocery Store

Living Waters Centre Tue & Wed 10-2, Sat 10-12

Join us every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday to get your groceries, and low-cost cooked meals in the community cafe. Membership is free, then £5 per shop for 14 items, or £10 for family shop (20+ items).

Community Shop

Join our membership of 400+ people!

Anyone can join – Pontypool Town Centre

Operating three days per week, our community hub, with its grocery store and café at the heart, is a welcoming, accessible space offering low-cost food and a safe environment for connection and support.

For more information phone Lisa on 07530923366 or message us via Facebook.

Community Cafe

Hot Food Served Tues & Wed 10-2, Sat 10-12

Now open as a warm space all winter! – Pontypool Town Centre

We served 3,600+ meals and snacks in 2025, and we’re open to serve you this week! Our extended opening hours means we can now offer both breakfasts and lunches. Until the end of March 2026, to help you keep warm, all hot drinks are free, and so is our soup! Our café prices remain intentionally low to help our community, with the normal price for cooked breakfast or lunch being £2.50.
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Holiday Hampers

Collect: NEXT COLLECTION COMING FEB!

Half term help for families with young children – Pontypool

Following our successful summer partnership with Bron Afon, Hope for the Community at Sharon Church Hall, Osborne Road, Pontypool is offering 30 more hampers containing £20 worth of essential groceries for just £5 this half term.

Pre-booking is essential. Hampers must be collected – strictly no deliveries. Torfaen families with primary school age children are eligible.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE ALERT US OF ANY ALLERGIES.

For more information and to request a hamper phone Lisa on 07530923366 or message us via Facebook.

Help to Heat

Wednesdays 10am – 12.00

Your Local Help to Heat Scheme – Pontypool
Emergency short-term help with gas and electric costs.
The Help to Heat scheme is funded by the Community Foundation Wales and Newsquest (who own Pontypool Free Press) “Our Communities Together.” It is open to all households in Pontypool to give emergency short-term help to those struggling to pay their fuel bills. Each eligible household can claim a single one-off top-up of £50 for their energy bills per year, which will be added to your smart meter or top-up card/key via the app or at a local Post Office.

To apply, you must call in person to the Hope for the Community Hub at the Living Wates Centre (formerly Sharon Church), Osborne Road, Pontypool NP4 6LU. You must be responsible for paying the energy bills for the property. Please phone first to make an appointment during opening hours. A simple form must be filled in. Phone: Mathew 07736035604.
Eligibility
You will be automatically eligible if you are currently in receipt of certain welfare benefits. However, if you are not currently receiving benefits, you may still be eligible for a discretionary payment. Please discuss your situation in confidence with a member of staff.
Monitoring
Your personal details (name and address) will not be passed to third parties. However, you will be asked to consent in writing to the collection of demographic data for monitoring purposes.
Limitations/Scheme Closure
We regret that we only have limited funds. Once funds run out, the scheme will close without further notice.

Cookery Classes

Cooking on a Budget

We’ll teach you how to cook nutritious meals for a family of 4+ at an amazingly low cost. look for more dates coming soon in 2026.

Join us to make a real change in YOUR community

The Living Waters Centre is coming together with other community groups in Pontypool to support a community-led response to the needs faced by residents in our town.

In a recent Torfaen council survey, residents highlighted their priorities as (1) anti-social behaviour, (2) food poverty, (3) young families at risk, (4) social exclusion and loneliness, and (5) litter and the environment.

Our volunteers represent every part of our community, from all faiths and none.

Together we can make our town a safer, cleaner and more equal place to live.

percent of residents are sometimes lonely

percent of residents feel safe going out at night

percent of residents concerned about litter

Human Impact Beyond the Numbers

A woman fleeing domestic abuse was supported sensitively into police and social services through trusted café conversations.

A disabled man navigating benefit changes found food security, friendship, and mental‑health support through a £5 shop and a 30‑minute conversation.

A flood‑affected family received food, clothing, and Christmas gifts through community donations coordinated by the hub.

When a regular visitor died without family, relationships formed at the hub enabled a dignified funeral and community closure.

Our Mission

Hope for the Community is based at The Living Waters Centre (formerly Sharon Church) in Pontypool town centre. It is an evolving into a community-led group growing grassroots responses to local needs. This project exists alongside, but separate from, the faith-work of the church.

Donate Today or Get Involved

Help Our Community By Donating Today!