A local community group, set up last November to distribute surplus food from supermarkets to the people of Honiton, has found a new home.

From Thursday, 1 April, Honiton Foodsave will be run out of the Honiton Family Church on the High Street from 8:45 pm to 10 pm. The last session at the Mackarness Hall will be Monday, 29 March.

Founder of the organisation, Jake Bonetta, is looking forward to the next stage of Honiton Foodsave.

"Since launching we have collected nearly ten thousand items of surplus food from Tesco, Co-op, Spar, Waitrose, Lidl, and Aldi among others, and the latest step in our plan is to move to new premises," he said.

"We are very thankful for the kindness shown by the team at St. Paul's Church, who have allowed us to use the Mackarness Hall whilst it was closed for hire, but we now have to move on and have found a fantastic place to call home," he continued.

Pastor Tim Judson joined Honiton Family Church in February 2020, just a few weeks before the first national lockdown, and has been working hard to support the town.

Tim said: "I want to promote and raise awareness of the good work being done by groups in our community and am honoured to be a part of Honiton Foodsave's next step.

"We have a lot of plans in place and the opportunities are endless."

Honiton Foodsave is committed to reducing food waste and food poverty. The team of volunteers collects surplus food from supermarkets and distributes it for free to anyone in the community.

No referrals needed, no questions asked – everyone is welcome, whether you want to save money, have a specific need, or just hate to see food go to waste.

The group continues to grow from strength to strength and is now running four collection sessions a week: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:45 pm to 10 pm and Sundays from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

With an abundance of bread and pastries, alongside salad, fruits, vegetables, and frozen meals there is something for everyone

Food can be ordered via the Honiton Foodsave website on collection days where you add items to your basket to claim them and checkout as you would with any other online shop.

You can then opt for delivery or come to the church for collection.

However, if you are unable to access the internet, the group wants to emphasise that anyone can still come down to the hall during the sessions and they will accommodate your needs.

If you would like to get involved with the group's efforts to reduce food waste, or you have a general query visit the Honiton Foodsave Facebook page or email them at [email protected].