A lot of community support sounds good on paper, but falls apart when it’s hard to access, hard to navigate, or missing the human part. We sit down with Caroline Murphy, a trustee of Crieff Connections, and Gillian Burns, the charity’s manager, to talk about what it looks like when help is local, relational, and genuinely useful. From the start, our goal is simple: connect people with services, skills, and everyday essentials in ways that build dignity rather than dependency. We get specific about the practical work happening inside Crieff Connections in Perthshire. You’ll hear how the community pantry operates as a food larder, using supermarket surplus and FairShare deliveries to keep prices affordable, plus a free shelf and free fridge to stop good food going to landfill. We also unpack how the Home Essentials project helps people who don’t have basics like bedding, crockery, and small household items, and how Big Hoose surplus stock supports households with someone under 25. Along the way we share the reality of donations, why “usable quality” matters, and how volunteer training like PAT testing makes it possible to pass on electrical goods safely. The conversation also highlights longer-term support that helps people move forward: accessible learning through ASDAN courses, reflective routes to SQA qualifications, and a growing network of partner organizations. We’re especially excited about bringing Citizens Advice appointments back into Crieff, removing the travel and phone barriers that stop people getting timely benefits and debt advice. We close by talking about volunteering roles for different personalities and skill sets, plus what we need from future trustees, including finance, legal, HR, and social media support. If you care about cost of living support, community wellbeing, volunteering, and practical local solutions, listen now, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the work happening through Crieff Connections.
