A look on the Bright(on) side of things
Majid (former Breadwinner in B&H, now a Proofer in London) and Obsa (new Breadwinner in B&H).
In November, we celebrated our one-year anniversary in Brighton - already! So much has happened since our last update in May, so we thought it would be a good time to sit down with Antonia, our Brighton Operations Manager, and get a proper update on developments south of London.
Hi, Antonia! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in Brighton?
Hello, I’m the Operations Manager for Breadwinners in Brighton and Hove, so I’m responsible for making sure we thrive and grow here. I have a background in charity project management and youth development, so it’s awesome to bring both of those interests together at Breadwinners.
Antonia (B&H Operations Manager) (left) and Becca (B&H Risers Programme Manager) (right) at ONCA.
So much has changed in the last few months. Can you tell us about who is leading the operation in Brighton?
I started the role mid-October to take over from Daniel Magrizos who had started Breadwinners in Brighton. We now have a great little team in Brighton: Becca Tucknott, who also joined us last autumn, is our Risers Programme Manager leading our programme for asylum seekers here and Mayla Westward is our Market Coordinator handling all the logistics.
What does a normal week in Brighton look like? Do you have a space to work together or do you mainly work from home?
We all mainly work from home but come together on Wednesday afternoons at a great place called ONCA where we can all sit around the same table. This is a new arrangement for office space and we’re really enjoying having the opportunity to come together as a team.
“Currently, we have three markets in Brighton and are hoping to open a new one soon. We’re also busy recruiting and looking forward to welcoming new Risers and Breadwinners into our community!”
Can you give us a brief update on what has been happening in Brighton?
At the end of last year, we had our first pilot cohort of the Risers Programme. It was really exciting to start supporting asylum seekers here and we had three amazing young people complete the programme and graduate in December! We also said goodbye to our ninth Breadwinner - after an awesome seven months on our market stalls, he is going on to our Proofers Programme in London.
Our first Risers Programme Graduation in Brighton last December.
Currently, we have three markets in Brighton and are hoping to open a new one soon. We’re busy recruiting and looking forward to welcoming new Risers and Breadwinners into our community! I’m also excited to run some fun community events in Brighton such as exploring the South Downs together with a picnic perhaps.
“I’d like to thank all the people who’ve welcomed us to Brighton. We’re so grateful to everyone who buys bread from our market stalls, tells their friends about us, or refers young people to us.”
Becca presenting how Breadwinners operates to our new Risers in Brighton.
What have you found the most challenging about expanding Breadwinners in Brighton so far?
It’s sometimes hard to find young people who want to work for us and also have the availability to match our market times. For example, some of the markets in the Brighton area are on weekdays when many of our young people are busy with classes at college.
Is there anything you would like to say to our community?
I’d like to thank all the people who’ve welcomed us to Brighton. We’re so grateful to everyone who buys bread from our market stalls, tells their friends about us, or refers young people to us. We hope to expand this year and help more young people - watch this space!
Support our ongoing expansion in Brighton by spreading the word, visiting our markets, volunteering as a mentor, or donating!