Tim’s Story

With P3 for many years, Tim is the Service Co-ordinator for Stroud’s Community-Based Support (CBS) Service. Leading a team of nine colleagues, he and the team work together to provide practical and emotional support to people across the Stroud district, including those who attend local community drop-in sessions. 

Tim says, “The Stroud district is massive… Because it’s rural, we are supporting a wide range of people living in towns, villages and farming communities. What we try and do is provide a person-centred approach that meets their individual needs in a place that suits them.” 

P3’s CBS service covers a wide and diverse landscape, from small, tight-knit farming communities to market towns with growing populations – each with unique challenges. Due to the locality and vast nature of the region, Tim says there are many difficulties, both for those offering support and for those receiving it:  

“First and foremost, the lack of provision when it comes to tenancies and the current difficulties surrounding Personal Independence Payments”, he says, 

Tim explains that, “With the size of Stroud and the limited services that can offer Personal Independence Payments being overrun, we’re being relied on more and more to help people complete this process.” 

These barriers mean that people in rural areas often face longer waits or additional stress in accessing vital support. That’s why P3’s team continues to go above and beyond, finding creative ways to bridge those gaps and ensure nobody is left behind. 

Another challenge Tim raises is the accessibility of services. In such a large and spread-out area, people living on the fringes of towns or in more isolated villages may struggle to reach drop-in sessions or other forms of community-based help. 

“We’ve recognised this and offer outreach and welfare visits to help [bridge the gap]”, he says. “If somebody can’t come to one of our drop-ins, we will make sure we go out to see them, to help them access support. We’re trying to identify these situations so we can continue to support people as best we can.” 

At the heart of this work is collaboration across different organisations and agencies. Some of P3’s local drop-ins are built on this multi-agency approach, bringing together key partners to provide wraparound support all in one place. 

Tim highlights, “While having a chat with their mates and over a cup of tea, they can speak to all local services – ourselves, Citizens Advice, the council and so on. We’ve found that a multi-agency approach really works. For example, in Stroud right now, there is a project going on to try and open more hubs like that.” 

This joined-up way of working helps people access the right advice and guidance without feeling overwhelmed or isolated. It also helps people who are accessing support for the first time to understand what support is available and who offers it. By building partnerships with other local organisations, P3 ensures that each person’s journey is supported holistically: from housing and health to wellbeing and community connection. 

For Tim, collaboration isn’t just effective – it’s essential to delivering meaningful, rural support. “It’s person-centred: something that puts the person in the middle and we work around them. We want them to have a nice, welcoming place to come to and then go from there. We always want people to be valued and, to be honest, I think this is something that makes P3 stand out, not just in Stroud, but in general: We do the person-centred approach incredibly well.” 

In communities where access to help can often feel distant, the P3 team in Stroud continues to prove that collaboration, compassion and commitment can bring people together, and that’s what truly changes lives. 

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