Mark Izzard, manager of Glenhaven with residents David and Laura.

A FOOD poverty project has helped a centre for vulnerable people achieve award winning success.

FareShare North Wales, Llandudno Junction, started providing food to Glenhaven in Craig y Don in May of this year. This month the residential home for adults with learning disabilities, was honoured by national specialist accommodation group Potens during an awards ceremony.

Glenhaven scooped the Come Dine with me award, for providing healthy, high quality meals on a budget.

FareShare North Wales, run by Llandudno Junction based recycling social

Crest Co-operative, was established last year. Community groups for the homeless and vulnerable across Conwy and Denbighshire pay £15 per week and receive a staggering £90 worth of food for their contribution. FareShare works with local and national food suppliers to collect food that would otherwise be sent to landfill due to over orders or damages in packaging and re-distribute it to the local community.

Mark Izzard, manager of Glenhaven, said: “It’s quite shocking to realise the amount of food that would go to landfill, when there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s perfectly good.

“The quality is fantastic. The food is making a better life for the residents at Glenhaven and our award proves this. We have so much choice and can create healthy meals. We can now buy food that we couldn’t afford before.”

Since FareShare North Wales was launched in September last year more than 70 tonnes of good quality, in date food has been saved from landfill. Community groups across Conwy and Denbighshire have benefited from more than £90, 000 worth of food.

Sharon Jones, director at Crest Co-operative, said 23 community groups are currently benefiting from the scheme. She said: “We work with centres for the homeless, the elderly and many more community groups across Conwy and Denbighshire.

“It is fantastic news that one of our new community groups has won an award. FareShare is improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in North Wales. At the same time we are helping the environment.”

If you are a local business and would like to donate surplus food to FareShare North Wales, contact project co-ordinator Andrew Sturgess on 01492 596783.

David Whitworth starts his new position as a Working Links host.

UNEMPLOYED people over the age of 50 have been given a helping hand back into the workplace.  

Recycling social enterprise Crest Co-operative in Llandudno Junction, launched the Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) scheme in May. The 12 week placement has led to unemployed Conwy and Denbighshire residents gaining permanent work in warehouse, administration and retail positions. Other job seekers have gained the confidence to start further education courses.

Earlier this year Crest welcomed seven people over the age of 50. The European funded ILM course was hailed as a success after five people gained permanent employment and one person signed up for a further education course.

David Whitworth, 59 from Craig y Don had battled unemployment for two years after he was made redundant from a retail position.

He joined Crest Co-operative’s paid scheme and was given supported training to get back into work. David is now working as a reception host for Working Links in Colwyn Bay.

He said: “Crest has worked wonders for me. At Crest I was shown how to job search and it gave me a routine. The placement built my confidence up and opened up doors for me.

“It is hard to job search when you have no support, but at Crest I was supported and given the push I needed. It was 100 per cent worth joining the scheme.”

Crest recently opened their doors to a second group of four unemployed people over the age of 50. The paid work placements will allow the adults to gain experience in retail, supporting vulnerable people, administration and workshop duties.

Simon Plumpton, vocational trainer at Crest said: “The over 50s have great work ethic and drive. Employers recognised this. Some unemployed people have come to Crest, increased their confidence and then have completely changed their career path.

“It’s great to see them having the confidence to take on a new challenge at this stage of their working lives. We hope to continue to get people over 50 back into work.”

Staff from Viability, Colwyn Bay’s football in the community project take part in corporate volunteering at FareShare North Wales.

ECO-FRIENDLY businesses have helped to tackle food poverty in Conwy

Staff from NatWest and Viability in Colwyn Bay, stepped out of their normal working pattern and helped volunteers at FareShare North Wales recently. They worked to deliver food to the homeless and vulnerable in Conwy and Denbighshire.

FareShare North Wales was launched by recycling social enterprise Crest Co-operative in Llandudno Junction last year. FareShare has already benefited hundreds of disadvantaged people in Conwy and Denbighshire.

The environmental champions picked food orders at the FareShare warehouse and visited the community groups, who have benefited from food donations. Food, which is donated by local and national suppliers, would otherwise be sent to landfill due to over orders or damages in packaging.

Colwyn Bay businesses helped to deliver food to Touchstones 12, Colwyn Bay’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre and day centres for individuals with learning disabilities Prospects in Llandudno and Deganwy.

Mike Thompson, healthcare manager for NatWest, Colwyn Bay, said: “Volunteering at FareShare North Wales gave staff a chance to get involved in an excellent community project, where real benefits could be seen first-hand.

“Staff were overwhelmed by the volumes of food that would go to waste, if it wasn’t for Fare Share. Going out to see some of the beneficiaries really brought home what the project is delivering to the community,” he added.

FareShare North Wales has already diverted more than 100 tonnes of food from landfill since it was launched last year.

Sharon Jones, director of Crest Co-operative, said: “We are inviting businesses across North Wales to come and see how FareShare has benefited hundreds. Our team building days are fun and enlightening. Businesses will get the chance to help people who need it most in their community and at the same time help the environment by saving food from landfill.”

If your business would like to book a team building day at Fare Share North Wales contact Anna Glover, Publicity and Promotions Officer on 01492 563459.