On Wednesday 1 March, Oldham Council Leader Amanda Chadderton and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham launched the Network of Community Fridges at Greenacres Community Centre in Oldham.
Through the In Our Nature programme, Oldham was approached by HUBBUB and the Co-op to pilot a cluster of Community Fridges, which would provide one in every 30-50,000 neighbourhood footprint.
This cluster pilot is a first and Hubbub, the Co-op and Action Together have worked collaboratively with our community organisations to identify suitable locations and host organisations to ensure there is equal coverage across the districts.
A Community Fridge is a space that brings people together to eat, connect, learn new skills and reduce food waste. It is a site where local people can share food, including surplus from supermarkets, local food businesses, producers, households and gardens. Fridges are run by community groups in shared spaces such as schools, community centres and shops. Their main purpose is saving fresh food from going to waste.
We now have a number of Community fridges operating across Oldham, providing a valuable food offer to their local communities whilst reducing the environmental impact food waste has.
The new Community Fridges are located at
- Crossley Community Centre
- Greenacres Community Centre
- Pennine Mencap
Long standing community fridges are based at
- Failsworth Academy
- Sholver Community Centre
The Community Fridges have been supported by the Co-op's members pioneer Daryll Riley, providing them with ongoing support and helping them to connect to surplus food, slow cookers and much more.
Find out more about Community Fridges at hubbub.org.uk.
Community Fridges are another important part of Oldham Borough's response to the cost of living crisis. Find more information about Cost of Living support for the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector in Oldham here.