A food charity is launching a new project to provide free meals in Oldham and is in need of volunteers to help out. 

FoodCycle is a national charity that aims to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past for every community. 

It will be launching a weekly service at The Primrose Centre on 31 August, and will be serving free community meals every Tuesday from 7pm at the same venue. 

It's designed to nourish the local community with a wholesome meal made with food that would have otherwise gone to waste. 

With the additional aim of reducing food waste, FoodCycle volunteers create nutritious meals from surplus food.

The meals are open to all, and guests range from low-income families, people affected by homelessness and those who cannot afford to buy food.

People can just turn up and take a seat, with no questions asked. 

Ian Winstanley, FoodCycle North West Regional Manager, said: "We are thrilled to be launching two new projects in Oldham and Wythenshawe. We are delighted that we will have 5 FoodCycle projects across Greater Manchester, reaching more local communities than ever before.

"We look forward to forming partnerships with local businesses, welcoming local residents in to the FoodCycle volunteer family and most importantly providing a nutritious meal and friendly chat to anyone in the community who needs it, no questions asked." 

Created in April 2020 in response to the first national lockdown, FoodCycle’s Check-in and Chat service is also available to local residents. Helping to combat the rising issue of social isolation, volunteers call guests for a weekly natter and lend an ear to those who feel lonely.

For the Oldham project, volunteers and project leaders are being sought to help with food collection, surplus food coordinators, cooking, hosting and running Projects.

For more information, visit http://www.foodcycle.org.uk/ 

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