A NEW community fridge in Trowbridge hopes to bring communities together and fills bellies not bins.

This week independent charity Trowbridge Future unveiled its third community fridge in the town.

Hosted at the Longfield Community Centre on Tuesdays between 3pm and 4pm, the facility fed 42 people on its first day in operation.

Trowbridge Future became a registered charity in January 2016 with the aim to “develop the capacity and skills of our residents to enable them to better identify and help meet their needs and to participate more fully in society.”

Chief executive Meg Aubrey said: “We were really pleased.

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“For quite a long time we have collected unsold food from Greggs that we gave out through our youth sessions.

“Then through lockdown we worked in collaboration with Storehouse Foodbank and Wiltshire Council to see how we could support vulnerable people.

“So, we started collecting unsold food from Marks & Spencer.

“I guess you could say there’s a coordinated effort across Trowbridge through the foodbank, ourselves and Fight Food for Hunger to ensure we’re feeding bellies, not bins – that’s our motto.”

Trowbridge Future also has community fridges at Seymour, held on Thursdays between 10.30am and noon, and in Studley Green which is open 10am until 12pm on every Tuesday.

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Meg told the Times that she sees the projects as a vehicle through which Trowbridge Future can bring communities back together and build connections.

The food projects were piloted just before the first lockdown in The Shires and opened the first community fridge in Seymour during the lockdown.

To keep the fridges stocked when open, Trowbridge Future sources leftover or surplus food from the shops and outlets around the town.

The motto ‘feeding bellies not bins’ is not just about the charitable efforts of helping to feed vulnerable people but to do its part in ending food waste, Meg explained.

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“We get all sorts of food such as bread or perishables from the fridges or the leftover stock.”

“It’s all edible but needs to be eaten by the end of the next day.”

At the moment the community fridge does not accept donations from the public, but Meg said: “It’s about building those relationships and connecting people.

“We also have our hub in The Shires and a community cafe, so have other opportunities where people can come and meet-up. We encourage people to come along to those. It’s more than just the fridge.”

Trowbridge Future also holds youth sessions and activities in the town such as its community cafe on a Friday, for more information please email info@trowbridgefuture.org.uk.