Who is TPHP?

The Pump House Project

We are The Pump House Project, a unique, independent Charity based in Faringdon Oxfordshire. We have been open for over a decade now with a clear and simple mission, to find out what the community needs and do our best to provide it.

Who is TPHP?

The Pump House Project

Our purpose

Our Story

Since our conception in 2013, the sole purpose of The Pump House Project has been to engage with and support whoever needs us, wherever the need arises, within our rural market town.

We initially focused on supporting young people, but over the years our work has evolved in response to the changing needs of our community. We have worked to bring back essential core services following cuts to local budgets, while also introducing more specialist services identified by the people who use them.

Our aim is to continue providing these varied and essential services for the foreseeable future, maintaining a strong community focus and ensuring that residents of Faringdon have access to the support they need.

In 2018, we were honoured to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of excellence in voluntary services within the community.

We are proud to work closely with a wide range of local organisations, including Faringdon Rotary, Sovereign Housing, Tesco, Aldi, Little Waitrose, Faringdon Community College, the Vale of White Horse and Faringdon United Charities, alongside many other community partners.

💚 Supporting Our Community 💚

Much of our work is made possible through donations and grant funding. As a small team, we fundraise wherever we can and have a presence at many of Faringdon’s major events, including Bangers & Beer, FollyFest and the 3 Legged Race.

However, it is the generosity of individuals, local organisations and our wider community that enables us to continue filling the gaps in services where no one else does.

If you are able to support us, please consider making a donation using the Donate button. Whether it is £1 or £100, every penny matters — and every penny goes back into our community. 💚

Together, we can continue making a difference in Faringdon.

What our community faces

Over the years, the unfortunate reality across the public sector has been a reduction in council budgets alongside an increase in the cost of day-to-day living. The impact of this is tangible within our local area, with a reduction in essential and affordable support services, activities and community groups.

Situated between two major centres in Oxfordshire — Swindon and Oxford — Faringdon has experienced significant population growth, with the population increasing by over 40% in just seven years.

As our town has grown, so too has the diversity of our community and the range of needs within it.

More recently, this has included the Home Office placement of 33 individuals and families in designated accommodation within the town, as well as the Council placement of people experiencing homelessness at the local Travel Lodge.

For many of these individuals and families, The Pump House Project becomes an important point of connection within the community. We provide a welcoming environment where people can access support, guidance, activities and, importantly, a sense of belonging.

Our role continues to evolve alongside the needs of Faringdon, ensuring that everyone in our community has somewhere to turn when they need support.

Approx Annual Cost – Core Costings

Salary of Staffing – £38,000
Utilities – £5000
Licences, Audits, Training – £3500

Although a few of our activities are fully funded by small grants currently, the overall majority are funded through local donations and fundraising. The addition of any core funding would greatly assist us in delivering to our community a vast range of services in line with our Charity Constitution for a further 12 months.

Counselling Service – COGS (Counselling Offering Growth and Support)

One of our biggest success stories to date has been the COGS project.

Launched by The Pump House Project in 2021, COGS was created to provide free counselling services to young people in Faringdon and the surrounding villages.

The demand for the service, combined with the incredible generosity and commitment of volunteer counsellors, meant that COGS grew exponentially.

In April 2026, COGS took the exciting next step in its journey, moving out from under the protective umbrella of The Pump House Project and registering as a charity in its own right.

We are immensely proud to have not only conceived the idea, but to have provided the support and foundations that enabled such an essential community project to grow and flourish.

We wish COGS every success for the future and will always be proud of the part The Pump House Project played in helping it get there.

Faringdon Food Share

F.F.S. (Faringdon Food Share) is an amalgamation of several core services that The Pump House Project has identified as a need within our community and brought into being.

The Fridge and Cupboard began during lockdown, providing essential food supplies to those who were unable to safely leave their homes to shop. Since its conception, the service has grown beyond all recognition.

As the needs of our community have evolved, so has F.F.S. We now provide not only food but also clothing, furniture and household items, all generously donated by members of our community.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of our wonderful local supermarkets, Aldi and Tesco, from whom we collect donations of both fresh and ambient groceries every day.

These donations make a real difference, supporting an average of 30 individuals and their families every day.

What started as a response to an immediate crisis has grown into an essential community service — made possible through the generosity of local businesses, donors and the wider Faringdon community.