High Wycombe Community Fridge

Bringing together women from diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds for mutual recognition, support and celebration was the founding mission of High Wycombe based Women’s Cultural Arena (WCA) CIC when they launched in 2017.

One year later with support from Hubbub and funding from the Rothschild Foundation, WCA officially opened a Community Fridge at Oakridge Baptist Church in High Wycombe. The fridge was intended to bolster their existing programme of social and cultural activities such as arts workshops and community lunches.

Three years later, their community fridge has done this and more.

With support from Hubbub and funding from the Rothschild Foundation, WCA officially opened a Community Fridge at Oakridge Baptist Church in High Wycombe.

The Community Fridge, which WCA aptly called the Community Friendly Fridge was set up with the ambition to normalise the spirit of sharing locally and reduce food waste. While the WCA has women at its core, their work reaches the breadth of the Wycombe Community and has become a social and supportive space for many.

Their model is also being watched by many as WCA Director Shanthi explains:

“No referrals are needed and there’s no stigma attached – I really, hate stigma. There’s no categorisation, discrimination, filtering or anything else. It is now up and running successfully. It is going so well that Berkshire County Council came to visit us to learn from us. Interestingly, we became mentors to other grass root level organisations.”

Visitor case studies highlight the range of benefits they receive from the fridge, including improved diets, new friends, communal eating, access to growing and cooking skills via their allotments and recipe swaps and support with budgeting and CV writing.

“A lot of us who come to the fridge are on benefits, I love the fruit (at the Community Fridge) which I couldn’t get at the supermarket.”

In the period January – November 2021, the Community Fridge redistributed 13.5 tonnes of fresh surplus food to 1,800 beneficiaries. 50 fridge users are now involved with their allotment and 100 households have taken up grow-your-own kits. The fridge is a real gateway.

The Rothschild Foundation awarded three year funding to Hubbub to work with local Buckinghamshire communities to establish two Community Fridges.  Alongside the High Wycombe Community Fridge managed by Women Cultural Arena, an Aylesbury Fridge was established at Aylesbury Vineyard Storehouse.