Oudolf Field, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2022
Since Hauser & Wirth Somerset’s launch in 2014, the gallery has worked in partnership with many charitable organizations, institutions and local businesses across the South West. Each year, a new local charity is supported through visitor entrance donations and seasonal community events, providing a platform to promote ongoing initiatives and increase awareness to a broader audience. These valuable community partnerships extend beyond Somerset and have significant impact on each of our locations, facilitating longstanding collaborations and a range of inclusive activities.
From June 2022 – July 2023 the gallery supported three core charitable partners in Somerset, each delivering vital social, environmental and cultural initiatives, including Art Bank in Shepton Mallet, BruBowl in Bruton and The Growing Space in Wincanton. Looking ahead from August 2023, we will dedicate our support to Bruton Community Library, a vital hub for local residents as well as socially isolated members of our rural community, run largely by volunteers.
‘We are delighted to be announced as a Hauser & Wirth local charity. We are passionate about improving and extending the support we already offer, allowing us to update Library resources, bring in other expertise and extend our outreach to all areas of the local community. We look forward to creating and developing the library as a vital community hub for all and helping to preserve it for future generations as a true community asset.’—Bruton Library Trustees
Bruton Community Library, Somerset, 2023 © Bruton Community Library
Bruton Community Library, Somerset, 2019 © Bruton Community Library
In London, the gallery will continue to develop our recent partnership with Brixton Soup Kitchen, which started in spring 2023, alongside ongoing projects with Hospital Rooms, an arts and mental health charity that commissions extraordinary artworks for NHS mental health inpatient units across the UK. Brixton Soup Kitchen continues the gallery’s community values and focus on holistic wellbeing, providing a welcoming and nurturing space for the homeless and people in need. The organization relies solely on donations and volunteers to continue their work in London and the surrounding areas.
‘Brixton soup kitchen is a service that provides hot food and drinks to people in need, we have an open-door policy, so anyone is welcome to use our services. Your donation is a massive help as it will go back into the running of our outreach services, as well as providing food parcels and hot meals to the homeless and less fortunate. Without donations like this we cannot continue to provide for people in need.’—Solomon Smith, Founder and CEO, Brixton Soup Kitchen
Brixton Soup Kitchen, London, 2017 © Brixton Soup Kitchen
Brixton Soup Kitchen, London, 2023 © Brixton Soup Kitchen
About Bruton Community Library
Bruton Community Library is at the heart of the town, largely run by dedicated volunteers who deliver a range of resources and support for the local community. Beyond traditional library services, this includes NHS health checks, IT drop-ins and outreach, official council services, access hubs, regular groups for new mums and babies, and a meeting place for ‘One Planet Bruton: Stitch it Don’t Ditch it.’ In 2023 – 2024, the library team will continue to target areas of the community who may be disadvantaged or socially isolated, providing an inclusive space to link Bruton’s primary and secondary schools, doctors surgery, Sexey’s Hospital and help more rural residents. Refurbishments to the building itself are already underway, helping to facilitate a space for quiet study as well as an inspiring environment for organizations and clubs to meet.
About Brixton Soup Kitchen
The Brixton Soup Kitchen (BSK) started in 2013 and quickly gained traction, as it was a much-needed service in the local community. Solomon Smith and Mahamed Hashi, the founders, and fellow Director, Derrick Anderson, were all youth workers at the time. A welcoming community hub, the BSK, is a secure, warm place to visit, where not only will a hot lunch be served, but there is also a food bank, clothes bank and legal advice on Thursday evenings. Several of the service users have been helped finding employment or housing, and others have gained the confidence to enrol in training and further education. The BSK also does remarkable outreach work on a regular basis, taking hot food and clothing to rough sleepers and families in need across London.
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