Several community based food initiatives are now established at the Old Chapel, in Lower Frog Street Tenby. Every fortnight on a Thursday, the WCFD (Wales Community Food Distribution) project has a volunteer run community food hub. The food hub is a great way to connect people to where food comes from and provide access to fresh, affordable, and healthy food. Customers of the food hub pre-order a £5 bag of locally supplied (and where possible, locally grown) vegetables, or fruit or salad and on collection can then order their bag for next time.

The WCFD food hub sits alongside two other fantastic community food initiatives housed in the Old Chapel, the Community Fridge and a collection point for the food bank PATCH (Pembrokeshire Action to Combat Hardship). The community fridge is kept stocked by a team of volunteers that collect food from various supermarkets in the evening, usually items that are normally best-before dates, or sell-by items and these items are free to anyone to collect. Anne Draper is the Community Engagement Officer for Tenby Town Council and helped set up the community fridge and is also the lead volunteer for the WCFD Food Hub. She works at Tenby Town Council De Valence offices, but can often be found in the Coffee Shop in the Old Chapel around lunchtime!

The Old Chapel has a warm, welcoming and cosy Coffee Shop which provides coffee, tea etc., freshly made cakes, sandwiches and soups. All of these are provided free of charge, although there is a donation box should people wish to drop something in. The donations received each day provide the cash to buy the ingredients for the next day’s baking. In an upstairs kitchen, cookery classes are also provided. You can sign up for a free six-week course designed to help people cook with simple, inexpensive ingredients. The Coffee Shop and Christian Bookshop is open from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Saturday.

On the first Tuesday of the month from 11am to 1pm there is a Get Together. The Get Together is run by PAVS Community Connectors and is open to anyone, and especially welcomes people who would like to go out for a cuppa and some company and a chat. Jo from Community Connectors can also share with you information and advice if you need it. For further details contact Jo Brookman-Lloyd 07595 192933.

The WCFD food hub really needs some more volunteers to support its development. Do you want to be more connected with your community, develop skills, meet new people and support a great initiative to connect people with healthy and great value food? If so, please email [email protected] for further information or contact Anne Draper at Tenby Town Council on 01834 842730.