Bellway director serves up free meals at community food service in Milton Keynes

Luke Southgate, who works for the housebuilder’s Northern Home Counties division based in the city, helped out as a member of the hosting team at FoodCycle Milton Keynes Wolverton on Friday 2 February.

He served up lunchtime meals and chatted to diners at the charity’s regular Friday community meals service held at the Old Bath House in Stratford Road, Wolverton.

FoodCycle Milton Keynes Wolverton is part of the national FoodCycle charity network which provides free hot meals for members of local communities across the country. The organisation works with supermarkets, small independent grocery shops and markets to source edible surplus food to produce the meals.

Holly Wright, East of England Regional Manager at Food Cycle, said: “Bringing people together over a plate of tasty food is at the heart of what we do at FoodCycle. Our cooking volunteers transform surplus food into a three-course feast and our hosting volunteers serve it all to our guests with friendly faces and great conversations.

“As well as feeding those most in need, FoodCycle volunteers create a warm and welcoming space for people feeling lonely, who are new to the area, or just want to feel more connected with their local community. Our meal at The Old Bath House in Wolverton has a wonderful atmosphere, where our guests and volunteers look forward to seeing each other every week.

As part of Bellway’s sustainability strategy, called Better with Bellway, the company has introduced a new Volunteering Policy, which gives employees the opportunity to use one working day a year for volunteering with a charity or community group.

Luke said: “It was a fantastic experience to become a member of the hosting team at FoodCycle Milton Keynes Wolverton for a day. My visit was the perfect opportunity to find out more about a local charity which does incredibly important work in the local community.

“It was great to be able to take time out from my work schedule to help serve up the tasty meals provided and talk to the guests about their lives and get to know them a little.

“The work of FoodCycle is positive on so many fronts, because it not only helps to feed hungry, lonely people but also provides a safe, welcoming environment for them to come to every week.

The service also promotes sustainability by taking surplus food and using it to produce nutritious hot meals, helping reduce food waste.

“Our ethos at Bellway is to champion sustainability and to engage with local communities, so working with FoodCycle Milton Keynes Wolverton aligns perfectly with this commitment to people and the planet.

“I would like to thank Bellway for giving me the chance, through our new volunteering policy, to spend time supporting this fantastic local charity.”

Bellway Northern Home Counties is currently building new homes across Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. For more details visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties.