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Flintshire Communities First supports FareShare

Published: 18/07/2016

Flintshire Communities First has recently joined forces with the FareShare FoodCloud project in North Wales. The aim of the scheme is to redistribute fit to eat food from stores directly to charities, not-for-profit organisations and community groups. Fareshare, which is a national charity, is currently launching this scheme in Tesco Extras and Superstores across North Wales. Vera Davey, Communities First Lead Officer for Health, has recently helped two local voluntary groups based in Greenfield to register for the scheme. The groups provide hot meals and refreshments to their communities at an affordable price. Ashley Cooper, Fareshare project coordinator, visited volunteers from the Greenfield Luncheon Club to explain the distribution process and to check that the group met the necessary credentials. This included having adequate kitchen and freezer facilities and volunteers with a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate. Greenfield coffee morning group, which is run by the ladies of The Holy Trinity Church, will also be receiving weekly donations. Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Services, Councillor Christine Jones, said: “This is a great scheme and a really good way to ensure that good food does not go to waste and that local people can benefit from receiving nutritious and cost-effective meals.” Sheena Willbanks, a volunteer with the Luncheon Club and Greenfield Town Councillor, said: Taking part in the Fareshare project will help us enormously. The lunch club started as a very small group just under two years ago, and with, support from Communities First, we have grown into a successful community group with an average of thirty people attending regularly. We provide a two course hot meal and refreshments at a very reasonable cost and the donated food from this scheme will enable us to supplement the meals. We are very grateful to have been asked to take part.