Fair Frome has had a very busy Christmas period. As well as serving increasing number of people through the foodbank, furniture bank, Food at Five and its other projects it has also delivered food to schools, Christmas presents and toys and supported the Frome Christmas Get-Together meals.

Looking to the new year Bob Ashford the Chair of Trustees said:

“With inflation still running at over 10% and food and fuel inflation much higher we know that demand for our services will continue to rise. As such we are constantly looking at new ways to support people in the town. To help us with this we are pleased to say to that our search for a new premises looks like coming to fruition and we hope to have some exciting news on this in later in January. Trustees have also agreed that we will work to open a new Food Pantry as soon as possible in the new year. Food Pantry’s are developing nationally and are member-led. They provide food at low cost to members using food given by supermarkets (not individual donations for the foodbank) and other sources all of which is fresh and nutritional. Importantly they also offer support, prevent waste and are all about dignity, choice and hope. As always, we will develop a model for Frome.

After 9 years as Chair of Trustees I have decided to step down as Chair and a trustee along with several other long serving trustees at our AGM in January and bring about fresh ideas and energy.  It has been an honour to serve for this time and hopefully bring about some positive changes and support for those in crisis and to speak out about the causes of poverty and deprivation in our town. In saying this I would also like to pay tribute to my fellow trustees, our amazing staff group both past and present, our volunteers and partners and supporters without whom none of what we have done would be possible. Fair Frome is in good heart and shape for the future and I know it will continue to be at the heart of Frome.”

Mendip CAB is also reporting the town is under pressure; with an increased number of calls from Frome residents.

Fair Frome’s chair of trustees, Bob Ashford said, “June has unfortunately seen records broken at Fair Frome for all the wrong reasons. The growing impact of the cost of living crisis on families and individuals in the town has resulted in the busiest week at the foodbank since we opened in 2014. 

“This has meant emptying shelves and having to buy some essential items. But we have a really strong community in Frome who we know will continue to support what we do.”

Sign up to ‘Bank the Food’

To help support them, Fair Frome is encouraging locals to download the ‘Bank the Food’ app on their mobile phones. By downloading the app, residents can see in real-time what food donations are needed by the food bank.  

“The app will send you a helpful ‘ping’ with a reminder of your food bank’s needs when you are shopping in your local supermarket,” explains a spokesperson for Bank the Food. “You can then choose exactly what you would like to donate and leave your donation in your food bank’s collection box at the end of your shopping trip. 

“Your local food bank will then be alerted via the app of your (anonymous) donation, making it easier for your food bank to track and locate items they really need.” 

For more information about the ‘Bank the Food’ app, visit the website: www.bankthefood.org

Practical tips to combat the rise in the cost of living 

To help residents cope with the rise in the cost of living, Fair Frome has also produced a new ‘practical tips’ leaflet, which shares ideas on how they can save money. The leaflets are being distributed with food parcels, and the charity is also sharing them with organisations to distribute. 

The practical tips shared in the leaflet are: 

How to stop spending

1. Budget, budget, budget – work out where you are wasting money 

2. Cancel unused subscriptions 

3. Work out how much something costs in hours of work- how long would you 

have to work to buy the items  

4.Use FreeCycle – a website where people give away stuff for free: www.freecycle.org    

5. Cut down on work costs – take your own lunches and coffees  

6. Cut down on wasting food

Food waste tips

1. Use your microwave – if you have one, they are usually cheaper than the oven. Prick your potatoes and pop them in the microwave 

2. Stick to a shopping list – and never go shopping hungry 

3. Make use of yellow stickers – do your shopping at the times when reductions are available 

4. Know the difference between USE BY and BEST BEFORE – best before food is still okay once it has passed its date 

5. Know where to store your food – bread, eggs and bananas don’t go off as quickly in the fridge 

6. Cook efficiently – cook multiple meals in the oven at once to save energy 

Energy saving tips, particularly for the Autumn / Winter

1. Turn your heating down – each degree cuts bills by 4% each year 

2. Heat the person not the home – pop on another jumper, socks or a hot water bottle 

3. Add draught proofing – this can cut 2% of bills a year. You can put tin foil behind the radiator, draught excluders under the door and clingfilm at the windows 

4. Make use of your radiator thermostats – only heat the rooms you need to heat 

5. Avoid the tumble dryer 

6. Take your meter readings- make sure you are only paying for the fuel you are using

Water saving tips 

1. Cut down on your shower times- stick to 4 minutes max showers and you will save £100 a year 

2. Save up your washing and only use the machine when you have a full wash 

3. Turn your taps off- when washing your dishes and cleaning your teeth 

4. Fix your leaks 

5. Order free water saving gadgets  

6. Steam your veg- it’s cheaper and healthier

Other practical tips

1. Pay attention to your standing orders – do you have extra bills or subscriptions you can cancel? 

2. Pop your wi-fi on a timer- save electricity by switching your wi-fi off overnight 

3. Swap out to a cheaper mobile contract and data plan 

4. Watch the weather – stop using the tumble dryer and dry your washing outside or with the windows open 

5. Use your work electricity – charge your phone and even shower at work 

6. Check your tax codes 

7. Save travel money – get a travel card 

8. Drive less and walk more! Better for the planet and your wallet  

9. Unlock shopping deals with loyalty apps.

Dear Mr Warburton,

I am writing to ask that you urgently work to address the root causes of growing poverty and food insecurity in our constituency. In the sixth richest economy in the world, no one should be in the position of having to resort to a food bank or similar service because of lack of income.

The Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) of which Fair Frome is a member, has identified at least 1,172 independent food banks operating across the UK in addition to 1,393 Trussell Trust food banks, and food banks run by schools, universities, hospitals, and the Salvation Army.

Yet food bank use represents the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wider food insecurity levels. Recent Food Standards Agency data show that 4% of people in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland used a food bank in the 12 months up to June 2021, but 16% of people went hungry or reduced their food intake due to lack of income. Take up of our food bank here in Frome has increased significantly in recent weeks even before the latest cost of living rises.

There was a poverty crisis in the UK before the start of the pandemic. Cost of living rises which Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data show that 43% of households on Universal Credit were food insecure in the year before April 2020. New DWP data show that from April 2020 to March 2021, 27% of households on Universal Credit, with a £20 increase to weekly payments, were food insecure yet the Government cut this much-need uplift to its main social security payment in October 2021.

Since the cut to Universal Credit, the end of the furlough scheme and the start of the cost-of-living crisis, demand for emergency food parcels and other food aid has been increasing. Poverty and destitution levels are on the rise and people of every age are being impacted.

The cut to Universal Credit, the 5-week wait for a first payment, inadequate benefit payments, dramatic cost of living increases, low wages, insecure work, the benefit cap, two-child-limit, the sanctions system, and No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) status are all behind the rapidly increasing need for charitable food aid across the UK. Food banks and similar services often run by volunteers are reaching breaking point.

People resort to using food banks because they cannot afford to buy food. However, an emergency supply of food will not resolve financial crisis and can only act as a temporary sticking plaster. The distribution of emergency food parcels cannot address the escalating poverty driving food bank use and wider food insecurity. What’s more, the impact of poverty and food insecurity on people’s physical and mental health inevitably comes at enormous human cost and strains public finances through the provision of NHS and other support.

Like the Independent Food Aid Network, I would like to see the end for the need for charitable food aid in the UK. Everyone living in our society should be able to afford food and other essentials.

It’s vital that measures are urgently introduced that will ensure cash first, income-based solutions to growing food insecurity:

• benefits must be uprated by at least 8% in line with inflation
• the 5-week wait for Universal Credit, benefit cap, two-child limit, sanctions system, and No Recourse to Public Funds status must be removed
• wages should match the cost of living and job security must be ensured
• crisis payments in the form of cash must be available, easily accessible, and well-promoted in every local authority in the UK

We very much look forward to hearing from you.

Bob Ashford

Chair and on behalf of the Trustees

Fair Frome