ALDI BUCKLEY

The Buckley Community Fridge project involves the setting up of a Community Fridge which is more than just a response to food poverty in that it also aims to reduce food waste and promote a more cohesive community spirit by sharing excess food. A Community Fridge differs from the food bank as it is open to all. Currently open on a Thursday morning from 10-11.30am. Buckley Community Fridge collective has members from the churches in the town, local councillors, and concerned individuals who have committed themselves to set up and deliver the project. The collective has the support of Buckley Town Council who have granted them the use of a suite of rooms on the right hand side of the old library building . The Community Fridge will be open twice a week and staffed by volunteers will have completed a food safety course and any other appropriate training. The rooms will be registered with Flintshire County Council as a food business and therefore be given a food safety rating. Appropriate public liability insurance will be put in place. The rooms will be equipped with a lockable fridge and freezer and furnished with secure storage, as well as tables and chairs for use when open to the public. The collective is registered with the Community Fridge Network, and now has an agreed constitution and a working committee. The collective is also appealing to the community for donations towards its work and for volunteers to come forward.

We have two main priorities, waste reduction and anti poverty so we tackle poverty sustainably, reducing single use waste and preventing unnecessary items from entering landfill. We are passionate about our environment and we are passionate about people. We provide reusable sanitary products to eliminate period poverty for the recipients, with products lasting for upwards of a decade. We currently cover Flintshire & Wrexham. We collect and deliver fresh, nutritious food from store to door, 7 days a week; tackling in work poverty, hunger, food waste and malnutrition. Christmas Eve 2023 saw us provide food to over 26,000 people; using surplus food that would have perished in warehouses during the holiday store closures. Between 24-31st December 2023, we redistributed over 110 tonnes of surplus food! We collect, restore and redistribute baby essentials to those unable to afford them. We support and enable the use of reusable nappies for all, providing them for free for those in need, for as long as required. We currently actively cover Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham but support can be accessed from residents of bordering counties. We impose no criteria as we believe it takes a significant amount of pride swallowing to ask for help. We enable beneficiaries to retain their dignity by providing whichever service is required anonymously. We’re not too sure if we’re innovators or a bit bonkers but it works! History: Wrexham Nappy Library was born in November 2015 to aid and enable the use of real nappies for people in need in the Wrexham County. This began with free trials of a variety of types of nappy with full support and guidance. Within a short period of time, newer versions of brands were released. Now, it is essential to keep trial kits up to date. As a result, we were left with a huge surplus of obsolete but perfectly functional nappies which we decided to offer to struggling families for as long as they needed, free of charge, with the simple request that upon cessation of use, they're returned to benefit another family. We began tackling period poverty in 2016, initially by adding menstrual cups to long term loan kits but quickly revised our methods and make them available to all. We commenced food deliveries in 2017 to tackle hunger discreetly, and to divert food waste from landfill. We also get infrequent donations of baby clothes and goods which are passed on for free to families who need them - returns of these items are not requested, instead we politely ask the families to pay them forward.

The heart of our work is in providing affordable or free counselling and support groups for vulnerable people affected by issues such as suicide, self-harm, depression management, anxiety, abuse. Working with individuals and family members. Qualified BACP registered therapists are well equipped to deal with any other difficulties a client may present with. We provide a safe homely office environment within a suite of offices in Mold and Buckley in Flintshire, where face to face counselling takes place. Volunteers attend the office to gain essential workplace skills thus improving their employment prospects. The practice takes on I.T and administrative students on work placement, enabling them the opportunity to complete their qualifications. We provide counselling and mental health support, via one to one therapy sessions, group meetings, and drop-ins. That provides a safe place for vulnerable individuals, to access therapy and social inclusion. A large part of the work we carry out is undertaken in community activities some examples are Santa’s grotto, choir by candlelight, fundraising days that include stalls selling cakes, raffles, tombola and face painting. The drop-in centre that comprises one large room and two therapy rooms directly addresses the needs of our community. This facilitates both group and individual therapy where people can have refreshments and a chat or engage in craft activities. People congregate, making friends which is vitally important for the social inclusion of vulnerable people. Individuals wishing to access our service do not require a referral from another organization or GP. This service can transform the lives of lonely people. We distribute food goods to local families and individuals affected by financial hardship. Fundraiser days enable the public to come together in pubs and community centres to help raise funds for the cause. The Counselling Hub charity are proud to say, We have been selected in The Mayor of Mold’s save a life make a different appeal.