M&S Tring

Our Day Service welcomes people into a caring, friendly and comfortable environment. They can come along to socialise and join in with some lovely group activities. Our team is here to give out information, promote good health and well being and give friendly and experienced advice about topics affecting a variety of people. We hope you'll spread the word about our very well loved Day Service. We'd love you to come along and join the mischief!

The Food Rescue Group at Aylesbury brings together dedicated volunteers, community partners, and supportive local businesses to promote sustainable living, reduce food waste, and strengthen connections across the community. At the heart of our work is the challenge of food waste, an issue with significant environmental and social consequences. Producing food requires vast amounts of land, water, and energy, and when edible food is discarded these resources are lost. Much of this food ends up in landfill, where it generates methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. By rescuing and redistributing surplus food, we help prevent harmful emissions while providing practical support to individuals and families within the Aylesbury community. In Aylesbury, we work closely with local producers, retailers, and suppliers to intercept surplus food before it is wasted. These partnerships benefit everyone involved. Businesses reduce disposal costs and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, while the community gains access to fresh, high-quality food that would otherwise be lost. Food pickup and distribution are coordinated by Neida Begum and Nathalie Stewart, who organise volunteer schedules, oversee collections, and ensure food is delivered promptly and safely. Their leadership is central to keeping operations efficient, reliable, and community-focused. Our volunteer network includes students from nearby universities, local residents, and members of community organisations. Together, they collect and redistribute surplus food shortly after pickup, ensuring freshness while removing the need for storage facilities. Any unsuitable food is disposed of responsibly, and where possible, packaging is recycled or repurposed to minimise environmental impact. To support smooth and responsive operations, a dedicated WhatsApp group is used to share real-time updates on collection times, locations, and available quantities. This system enables volunteers to respond quickly and ensures that no opportunity to rescue food is missed. Clear communication also helps match rescued food to recipients as efficiently as possible. By diverting large volumes of food from landfill, the Food Rescue Group, Aylesbury is reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving valuable resources, and strengthening community ties. The impact goes beyond environmental outcomes, fostering a culture of sharing, care, and mutual support. As the chapter continues to grow, its mission remains clear: to show that small, consistent actions can lead to meaningful and lasting change.

We provide two main services, the first is food parcels to those in our community that are struggling financially. Parcels are issued fortnightly to between 70 & 100 individuals & families, providing them with sufficient food for at least one meal per day until the next parcel is due. We also provide monthly toiletry packs, and cleaning packs. This service is free to those in need, and self referrals are welcomed. This is based at our first premises, a warehouse where parcels are made & can be collected. Alongside this, we also store the stock for the second service we provide. This second service is a Community Fridge & Social Supermarket. The community fridge provision allows us to bring together all the food collected from the local supermarkets and food providers that they are no longer able to sell. It is all checked it meets Government food safety standards, before it is displayed in our Shop for anyone in the local community to pop in & choose from. There is no charge for this service, although donations are very welcome towards our costs. We have a fair usage policy for this service. In addition to this, our shop also acts as a Social Supermarket, where we sell items donated to us by Amazon, they are no longer able to sell. This could be damaged packaging, or end of lines, and can range from cans of pop to cleaning products, clothing, toiletries and other items. Everything we sell is again checked for breakages, expiry dates etc, and sold at least 66% below the market pricing and the shop is open 5 days per week, plus a Saturday market stall. Whilst the above is the core of our support services, we have a policy to ensure we look at other areas of support that may be needed. In the past we have purchased beds, white goods, clothing and other items that have been needed to ensure our service users have access to their basic needs. We have connections with local schools, care homes, Rotary, Scouting groups, & other charities whom we assist with donations when required. We have a regular programme for Duke of Edinburgh students to do their volunteering, as well as a local school for children with behaviour difficulties. We give them an opportunity they wouldn't normally have, to come do work experience with us in our warehouse, or stock is taken to them to pack for us for those not able to visit us. We have regular visits & chats with local scout & guide groups, helping them earn their community badges too. We have around 75 volunteers making all this work, and two paid employees as team leaders.