Food bank in action, tins and other cupboard foods are laid out on a long table with people stood either side.
Food bank in action, tins and other cupboard foods are laid out on a long table with people stood either side.

UWL alumni and 2022 Entrepreneur award winner featured on BBC website

Rachel Dimond, who is currently studying for a PhD at the University of West London (UWL) in gang research, runs My Yard, a food distribution charity that delivers surplus supermarket food donations to communities in North-West London. She won the Entrepreneur Award for 2022 in the UWL Alumni Awards in recognition of her charity work.

body

She features as part of a BBC news story on how social media – particularly WhatsApp and Instagram – is being used by food banks to reach out and communicate with those in need. It is not just helping to support their food needs but also creating a sense of community. 

The article tells the real story of food banks not this silly ‘who’s got the longest food bank queue’ narrative which doesn’t help anyone,” Rachel explains.  

body

Rachel is wearing an orange hoodie and is unloading trays of food from the back of a van for her food bank charity.

She was contacted by the BBC as they’d seen her social media and sent her a WhatsApp message to find out more.  

Instagram is very private – and unlike Facebook no one has to know who you are,” Rachel explains. “WhatsApp is the same. There’s less stigma about using it than there is around going to a place you don’t know and standing in a queue.” 

After Rachel first set up My Yard, she began studying for an MSc in digital marketing at UWL. This was helpful in demonstrating the value of social media to growing her charity, she says.

That year while I was studying, I had £30,000 in grants for My Yard whereas this year I expect it to be closer to £200,000,” she explains. 

One person's hands, clasping another person's hands

Her charity started out delivering short-term, emergency food parcels, now it is supporting people experiencing long-term food poverty.

Everybody has different needs - there are elderly people, those with health problems or with lots of children who literally can’t live on a budget,” Rachel says. “People in temporary housing may not have a cooker or a fridge that works which is why it is important to be agile and community based and get to know people who come to the food bank.” 

The impact Rachel is making in her local community demonstrates the power of understanding and employing digital marketing techniques,” says Dr Amelia Au-Yeung,  Dean of the Claude Littner Business School at UWL. “Rachel’s success is a testament to the transformational change that good education can deliver - it is great to see her using the knowledge and skills gained through her studies to really benefit other people.” 

Find out more about WhatsApp groups help get food to those who need it - BBC News.

Find out more about the Entrepreneur Award 2022: Rachel Dimond - The University of West London.

Related news