Food charity FoodCycle has been serving free weekly meals to people in Sutton since March — saving food from going to waste, bringing people together, and helping those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, reports Josh Flowers.

Sue Green, a volunteer at the national charity’s base in the town, said: “FoodCycle is for everyone.

“It’s a place not just about trying to battle food poverty, but about bringing people together, to enjoy the food and company.”

FoodCycle serves an average of 30 to 40 people each week in Sutton, at the same time saving around 2,304.6kg of food from going to waste.

It uses surplus ingredients, provided by donations, to create free meals for communities across the country.

Anyone is welcome to have a freshly-made hot meal at the Magdalene Centre, Sutton, next to St Mary’s Church, on Wednesdays, at 6pm, no questions asked.

The venue is fully accessible and the meals are open to all the family.

While combating food poverty remains a top priority for FoodCycle, it also aims to bring communities together in an effort to reduce loneliness.

The charity relies on volunteers from across different communities, and in Sutton more volunteers are always needed. Roles include chatting, hosting, cooking, collecting donated food and much more.

One of the kitchen volunteers at Sutton, Maureen Ryan, added: “I enjoy the comradery and getting stuck in together. It’s nice to give back and help out.”

The Sutton venue was the first to launch in the East Midlands and FoodCycle has since added bases in Broxtowe-Aspley and Hucknall.

One will also be coming to Sneinton soon, with more planned to launch throughout 2023 and 2024.

Anyone wanting to help FoodCycle in Sutton should go to https://foodcycle.org.uk and search for Sutton, Nottinghamshire.