The Cheviot Centre is considered the hub of Glendale, and therefore a natural point for the community to share surplus items. We recently successfully applied for National Lottery Community funding to build and install a ‘nourish and share shed’ food larder to be located outside the front of the Cheviot Centre in Wooler.
There are many occasions throughout the year when people donate home grown produce and we distribute it from here, so while this is a new project, the concept is one we are familiar with.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic we took on the operation and management of the Wooler and Glendale food bank. Through this work we were able to reach deeper into the community, forging stronger links and increasing awareness of the work of the Glendale Gateway Trust. We wanted to build on this momentum and expand the offer of food to the whole community, regardless of their financial status. Creating an accessible community food larder which provides seasonal, home-grown produce as well as non-perishable items which are surplus to requirements is a concept which we feel strongly about. There is real growing anxiety within this very rural community about the cost of transport to the nearest supermarket (34 mile round trip to Berwick upon Tweed or Alnwick respectively) as well as the impact on the environment of using fossil fuels. Wooler is located in Glendale, North Northumberland. Covering 250 square miles, it is one of the most sparsely populated areas of England.
As the project develops, we see people sharing other items such as Christmas decorations, seeds and toiletries- we are excited to see it grow organically!
Keep an eye out on the tree on the side of the shed…local artist Anthea Wood regularly changes the decoration!