Argos Coleraine (Inside Sainsbury's)

Ballymoney Community Fridge (BCF), opened to the general public in April 2023 , since when it has grown from strength to strength, and is open to all members of the community. Run weekly, entirely by 30+ volunteers, over 80 people of all ages and backgrounds meet in a bright welcoming hall where they can come together over a chat with complimentary refreshments and are able to take away locally donated fresh, chilled and frozen foods. The savings this makes also enables households the flexibility to budget on other items such as heating etc. We are non-denominational and non-discriminatory. We aim to be open and inclusive and not stigmatise our users. We operate from the Old School House, in the centre of Ballymoney. However, our users come from throughout the town and surrounding area We are registered with the Community Fridge Network charity, coordinated by Hubbub. This provides us with knowledge and skills to efficiently run the BCF, however it does not provide us with funding. To date we have successfully built collaborations with some local commercial organisations who kindly donate food items when possible. We have however recognised a need for non-food items amongst the people who use the BCF, which are not donated and are needed. We are therefore looking to source funding for us to purchase essential hygiene products such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, sanitary products, washing powder etc. We try and collaborate with as many other community groups and charities as possible. We have close working links with Ballymoney Community Christians Against Poverty (CAP), who offer free, debt advice as well as a variety of courses including budgeting, life skills (learning to live well on a low income) , and a job club. CAP staff also attend the weekly BCF meetings and circulate to provide help and advice where needed. Several CAP clients now attend the fridge on a regular basis for both community companionship and to access free food. Our volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds, and have other jobs/ affiliations with eg the Samaritans, and are therefore able to signpost users with appropriate information as required. Our users themselves have links with other organisations, such as the Mens Shed, enabling a transfer of information in a relaxed, hospitable environment. Our BCF is so much more than a ‘fridge’ and we hope to achieve so much more – we are always on the lookout for further funding and charitable opportunities.

We are first responders for The PSNI when a person is missing on our rivers and our land. We are a group of volunteers who aim to find vulnerable and missing people and bring them home to their families. We have 8 professionally trained voluntary units in Northern Ireland and also provide safety patrols at public events and at weekends on the River Lagan and undertake suicide and crisis intervention.