Charnwood Community Fridge

Welcome to our Community Fridge website.....

What is a Community Fridge, and what do we do ?

A community fridge is a space that’s dedicated to recycling surplus fresh food and stopping it from going to waste. 

Unlike conventional food banks, our fridge is open to all, and anyone can contribute to, or use food from the fridge. Our sources include food from supermarkets, local food businesses, producers, households and gardens. 

Community Fridges (CFs) are normally run by community groups and are located in shared spaces such as schools, community centres and shops. There are now nearly 500 CFs across the UK and the total is increasing almost daily.

The Charnwood CF is part of the Community Fridge Network; this is coordinated by Hubbub which brings together all UK based groups running a community fridge.

The emphasis of our work at Charnwood CF is on collecting food from local supermarkets and other businesses, and preventing waste by making it available to anyone in the Loughborough area that can use it -  a big 'thank you' to all our local providers. Head over to our Donors page if you'd like to see a list of our current suppliers.

We depend on the efforts of our local volunteers to make all this happen, and we would encourage anyone of like mind who would like to contribute some of their time to consider joining our volunteer panel. You can contact us via our Contact page, or by phoning the Shelthorpe Family Hub on 0116 305 5247.

How to find us

The Community Fridge is located within the Shelthorpe Family Hub at:

Woodthorpe Road, Shelthorpe, Loughborough  LE11 2NF

We’re co-located on the Woodthorpe Road site with Beacon College – if approaching from A6 and Shelthorpe Road, take the left turn onto Woodthorpe Road, then left again at the entrance signposted ‘Community Centre’ and bear left after passing through the gates. 

Please note that during school term time, for safeguarding reasons, both pedestrian and vehicular gates are likely to be closed. To gain entry from either gate, locate the keypad next the gate and press the '4' key followed by the 'RING' key (bell symbol at the bottom of the keypad). This should connect you with Family Hub reception who will activate the gate opening mechanism for you. 

Once through either gate, turn left and the Family Hub building entrance is located about 30 yards down on your right. Our reception is through the automatic doors and to your left.  

To exit the site via the pedestrian access gate after your visit, press the green button on the right of the gate.

If you have a Satnav system, the postcode should pinpoint us for you.

See the map below for more info. on how to get to us - Google maps will provide detailed directions if you need them.

When are we open ?

Our current normal opening times (excluding UK Bank Holidays) are:

Monday – Friday 1030-1130.

Opening times can, however, vary depending on circumstances and volunteer availability, particularly during school holiday periods. Please check our ‘News’ Page for any changes, and for our opening times over the Christmas and Easter holiday periods, and for Bank Holiday closures. (See our handy calendar app on the News page for a list of this year's remaining UK Bank Holidays and other notable events).

You can also check for any up to the minute news about product availability, etc.

Some hints and tips about searching this site

The easiest way to find information about a particular item or topic on Google Sites is to use the built-in Search Bar - it can really help speed things up. You can access it via the Icon to the far right of the header. You can either just search the text itself, or look for a match within embedded files (such as the files available for downloading on the Downloads page.

Important: Fridge Access Changes

Please note that due to limited space in the Family Hub reception area, reception staff have decided for the time being to limit access to the centre for Community Fridge users until such time as a volunteer is available to serve them. This is to avoid overcrowding in the foyer and ensure there is adequate seating for other centre users. Be aware also that volunteers do need adequate time to prepare donations for collection, so will not generally be available to serve you until after 1030. The main gates will both be closed throughout the school holidays.

Here is the procedure to follow on arrival at site:

1) On arrival at site, if this is before 1015, please queue at the pedestrian entrance gate until 1015. After 1015 you may use the intercom system to request access to site from Family Hub reception. (Press '4' on the number panel to the left of the gate followed by the 'Bell' key). 

Please do not a) call reception before 1015  or b) attempt to enter through the main vehicle gate by following a car in - this is dangerous as the gates will close automatically without warning and you could be injured.

2) After entering the site, please proceed to the Family Hub entrance and queue outside the entrance doors until you are called by one of the volunteers. You will then be invited to the Fridge room to collect your groceries - please note that due to space restrictions we operate a policy of one person to be served at a time.

Fridge Users are advised to avoid arriving before 1030, especially in wet weather as there is no shelter in the main gate area and only limited covered space in the waiting area outside the centre doors. 

For more details on how to contact us, see our 'Contact' Page.