Lidl Dorking

The Meeting Place was founded in 2011 with the principle aim of reducing social isolation. A coffee shop was set up in January 2012 with soft play facilities to encourage young mums and child carers to come in and stay as long as they liked. The older generation also enjoyed coming into a place where there was no time pressure. Since that time we have started up a language hub to assist those whose English is a second language and may be struggling in confidence and finding friends. We have also arranged lip reading classes for those struggling with communicating as deafness begins to limit them. In 2019 The Meeting Place agreed with the idea of having a Community Fridge, principally to reduce food waste, to be available at the times the Coffee Shop was open, initially this started on a small scale in January 2020. When the Coronavirus situation changed peoples lives we felt that we wanted to support the people who had been using the Fridge by delivering a bag of food to their door. This has grown from supporting 20 Families in March to over 170 at the present time. Most of our growth has resulted from professional referrals due to financial hardship or shielding.

We have three hubs located in central Dorking, Goodwyns and Leatherhead. where we put good, surplus food which local people can take. Our mission is to reduce surplus food from being wasted and to make it available to our community. We collect daily from local supermarkets, and also collect food from FareShare, for which we pay a fee. Since 2017 we have saved 1,737 tonnes of food from being thrown away! COVID We changed our operation to food parcel delivery to people referred to us by statutory agencies and the community. We now have 3 static fridge sites: Dorking, Goodwyns and Leatherhead and we have a Mobile Fridge on the road serving rural Mole Valley. The point is to reduce food waste, and happily, we are also reaching those in our community who find themselves in food poverty.

Young people who have experienced childhood trauma, or escaped domestic violence, too often become homeless. Sleeping on sofas or in hostels, they struggle to find work with devastating effect on their self-confidence and mental health. It’s a vicious spiral that’s hard to break. That’s where Amber comes in. Amber provides a residential centre for homeless young people from a disadvantaged background, where we provide a safe temporary home and the practical support needed for the young people to repair their shattered lives. In a calm and nurturing environment – we provide a mix of support, structure, new experiences and training that builds their motivation, confidence, self-discipline and skills. We help them address any specific issues that may be holding them back, helping them to move on from their troubled pasts and find the self-belief and determination to move forward. Our approach is holistic allowing the young people to build the skills and self-confidence to transform their lives.