Stories

Sat, 11 Jul 2026

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 'We've saved 34 tonnes of food and a carpet'

Two community groups say they have welcomed "record attendances" and given away many 'random items".

* Over 1,000 hours of volunteer work went into saving 34 tonnes of uneaten food from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
* A group of around 50 volunteers from Roade and Towcester's Community Larders collected and distributed the food to the public through pop-up shops.
* The operation helped about 3,000 people and was only made possible due to "amazing teamwork".
* Volunteers processed over 12 tonnes of food waste by Wednesday and gave out items like fruit, eggs, bread, bacon, and butter.
* Record attendances were reported at the pop-up shops, with around 450 people turning up on Monday alone.
* The community larders normally offer a membership scheme for surplus food, but made an exception to open it up to everyone for this event.
* Volunteers worked tirelessly, including one night until midnight, to ensure everyone who attended could get served.
* Over the week, volunteers collected, sorted, and arranged the goods from Silverstone, with some even rescuing items like a carpet that was donated to a family in need.
* The leftover food would have otherwise gone to waste, but thanks to the volunteers' efforts, it was distributed to those who needed it most.