Thousands of vulnerable people have benefited from a café which uses food that would otherwise be destined for landfill.

FirstBite Cafe in Winchester has made meals for over 3,000 people, using surplus food from local charities, supermarkets, farms and allotments.

Debbie Lockett, the founder of FirstBite told Winol they had saved over 1,600 kilos of food from going to landfill – the equivalent of 4,000 loafs of bread.

‘What possible benefit is there of just chucking it all in the bin? So that not going in the bin and not creating noxious gases and all the energy to get it to the landfill site.’

The initiative helps those in the community who may be struggling with money as well as those who feel isolated, whilst at the same time, tackling the systematic food waste problem.

Liz Easton, a Parish Volunteer said:

‘We think that people who might be isolated can come here and make friends, join in and have a good conversation with other people, which helps self-esteem and mental health.’

The cafe is involved in other community events such as Silver Sunday which offers a get-together and a Sunday lunch for older people living alone as well as running cookery and healthy eating workshops in sheltered housing for young adults.