West Howe is planning on setting up their very own community fridge but are looking for volunteers to help get it off the ground.

Due to the popularity of the Boscombe Community Fridge, the small community of West Howe are due to start their own community fridge.

The Boscombe Community Fridge is located in the Boscombe Library and stocks food items contributed by supermarkets and restaurants that have gone past their sell by date but are still perfectly good to eat.

Martha Searle, a BCP Council community development officer in West Howe and Kinson, is a big supporter of the Boscombe Community Fridge and has been instrumental in campaigning for a communal fridge in West Howe.

She said: “We’ve seen how well the Boscombe fridge is doing and we’re keen to replicate it over here.

“We were thinking about putting it in the Henry Brown youth centre but, with it open only part time 5 days a week, it isn’t open enough yet. West Howe library have kindly welcomed us there, following the success in Boscombe Library.”

The project has already been donated a fridge by Sustainable Food Cities, a partnership that helps communities with food-related issues. The West Howe project is now looking for volunteers to join their team and help make the project happen.

Martha continues: “We’ve been shocked by the levels of food wasted each day in this country. A fridge will help to ensure some of that food doesn’t go to landfill, but feeds people. It’s not only a place where people can come and get free food, but its helps build friendships between people as you can make friends with people you wouldn’t normally see.

“With the school holidays, it can sometime be a difficult period for families on low income and having a community fridge can help.

“We just need a team of around eight to ten volunteers to help with collecting food and helping with general upkeep of the fridge.

If you want to be a volunteer for the fridge, Martha will be hosting a meeting about the community fridge on Saturday June 29 at 1pm at the Henry Brown Youth Centre introducing the project. You can also get in touch with her at martha.searle@bcpcouncil.gov.uk on Facebook or by calling/texting 07901 701908.