Tonnes of food set to be saved from F1 at Silverstone this weekend by Northamptonshire larder

Tonnes of food is set to be saved from going to waste at the British F1 this weekend at Silverstone Circuit, by a Northamptonshire larder.

Towcester Community Larder is putting the final touches in place for the third year of its “food rescue” mission this Sunday (July 9).

With more than 40 volunteers lined up and ready to help, they are hoping to save and distribute at least six tonnes of food that would otherwise be wasted.

As outlined in a previous story with Towcester Community Larder, larders differ from food banks entirely.

Where a food bank is designed specifically for members of the community in need and experiencing food poverty, a larder is open to all – regardless of your need.

Whether you are someone who wants to save money on their food shop, save food from waste, or use the opportunity to come and meet new people, the membership is open to anyone.

Towcester Community Larder, and its sister larder in Roade, purchase surplus food from an organisation called SOFEA, which is a partner of FareShare. They rescue food surplus from the national supply chain to ensure it does not go to waste.

As well as purchasing food, donations are made from supermarkets and other local businesses.

The larders have a wide variety of items on offer, including chilled and frozen food, fruit and vegetables, toiletries, pet food and store cupboard basics.

The larder added another string to its bow three years ago when they began working with Silverstone Circuit, to save food from going to waste after events like the F1 Grand Prix.

Talking to the Chronicle & Echo, the coordinator at Towcester Community Larder, Katie Steele, explained exactly what is planned to happen.

She said: “We’ll have a team of 20 volunteers at the track – the most we’ve ever had.

“They’ll position themselves there throughout the day waiting for all the hospitality areas to mobilise them.

“It’s a challenge as you’re waiting to be directed to the different areas, to load up the food that would otherwise have been thrown away.”

Katie explained that as the F1 moves between locations so quickly, it proves a challenge to bring the fresh food with them – leaving it behind for the larder to make use of.

After the food has been gathered by the track volunteer team, it is taken to a different team of volunteers running pop ups to distribute it to the community as quickly as possible.

The partnership first began when Silverstone appointed a new head of sustainability and the larder linked up with him.

Having saved three tonnes of food in the first year alone, despite it having “never been done before”, the two parties have not looked back since.

The larder has increased its number of volunteers by five times over the past three years, and they are now better prepared for what to expect of the coming weekend.

They are also renting a refrigerated van and more vehicles to transport the food, which Katie says will make a “massive difference” compared to when they previously used cool boxes.

When asked just how much of a difference providing the surplus food to the community is, Katie said: “This year and last year have been a challenge and there are so many still struggling.

“The aim is to reach the people who need it before opening it up to the wider community.”

The team of around 20 volunteers at the pop up stalls will triage everything that is brought over from Silverstone.

They will weigh it and set it up on the market stalls, which is firstly opened up to their larder and food bank members – before it is available to the public later on.

“Timings are challenging and we don’t know when we’ll get the call to collect the leftover food,” said Katie, who urges everyone looking to get their hands on some to keep an eye on their Facebook page for timings and locations.

With around 65 regular volunteers at Towcester Community Larder and around 35 in Roade at their sister larder, Katie says the team is “really lucky”.

Many of them are travelling to Towcester on Sunday (July 9) to assist and give up their time.

Katie said: “Shout out to the volunteers who will be giving up their weekend to go above and beyond their normal volunteering role.

“It has been a challenging year for people who are really struggling and getting the food out there is important.”

The coordinator also said that any surplus food they do not use is shared with other organisations through the Food Aid Alliance West Northants – to ensure as much is utilised as possible.

How can you get involved and become a member of the Towcester and Roade Community Larders?

In order to afford the food needed for all members of the larder, there is a charge and different membership tiers available.

No matter which tier you opt for, there is an annual joining fee of £10 per membership.

For a monthly subscription, you can pay £17.50 per month for 10 points per session, or £35 per month for 22 points per session. This entitles you to one session per week.

If you would prefer to pay as you go, you can pay £5 per session for 10 points or £10 per session for 22 points.

Each item available at the larders has a number of points associated with it, so you know how much of your allowance you are spending with each thing you pick up.

For more information on the food larders and how you can help them to continue making a difference, click here.