Final Transition

I've just counted and found that I have posted no less that 60 blips tagged transitioncafe. This will be the last. 

Our pioneering surplus food project in Fishguard operated from summer 2013 to winter 2017, based in this building which was itself abandoned until we refurbished it as a cafe, meeting place and social hub. Open 4 days a week, it was staffed largely by volunteers who collected, cooked and served meals and snacks made from 'perfectly good' edibles that had been rejected by shops and wholesalers as being too close to sell-by or best-before dates for stocking or distribution. We also took surplus produce from gardeners, harvest festivals and people with stuff they couldn't use so long as it was within the official limits of safety.

The surplus food project saved on average 900kg of food a week from going to landfill thus making substantial carbon savings; it won an array of national and international awards; it hosted journalists and film makers creating news items;  local politicians who wanted to be associated with its success; other transition/green groups who wanted to learn and copy;  and it fed innumerable people including local regulars (like the nun who always had soup and brown bread - on a separate plate - before her Welsh class); holiday makers with hungry children who just wanted baked beans while the adults enjoyed quiche and salad;  vegetarians,vegans and gluten-frees who were delighted to find we catered for all their preferences. We ran courses, laid on parties, took part in community festivals, catered for outside events, provided opportunities for school kids, teens and people with learning difficulties to learn about food handling and cooking. Musicians played. Aster the medical detection dog slept in the corner, There was a demonstration of cleaning a crab. Seed exchanges and plant sales. Home-made jam and chutney.  A fermentation course. A young Spaniard on a 'money-free' adventure once dropped in and did all the washing up in exchange for a meal. 
I could go on but it's all there in those 60 blips.

Our prices were low - we didn't always break even - but this wasn't about feeding the poor. It was an exercise in preventing food waste which is one of the most detrimental aspects of our world's  environmental catastrophe.

Now the building is coming down for good but the six years since the project started have seen great changes in the way "waste" of all kinds is viewed. Many similar projects have sprung up serving or distributing surplus goods, there are imaginative schemes and projects to counter waste in food distribution and marketing as well as in ordinary households (which is where most food is wasted now). Big supermarket chains have realised that being 'green' will gain them customers. Children are keenly aware of environmental issues.

The cafe premises will soon be no more,  making way for a new road system aimed at relieving traffic through the town's narrow streets. For now, the cafe's work is done and in its place we have a Community Fridge  where surplus food, collected daily, is left for people to help themselves and use at home. This new scheme, maintained by a rota of volunteers,  has been running since the spring and has been a resounding success. Community fridges are springing up all over the country and indeed all over the world - India, Dubai and New Zealand as well as Europe. Look on line to see if you have one near YOU!