OTLEY 2030 has been selected as a local cause by the Co-op. This means that when members of the Co-op make Otley 2030 their chosen cause and buy selected Co-op products or services, the community group receives money.

The money raised from this fundraising will go directly to supporting the formation of the Otley Community Larder. This initiative is being developed by Otley 2030 to tackle the issues of food waste at the same time as addressing the cost-of-living crisis. The UK throws away around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste in a single year – even though 8.4 million people in the UK are living in food poverty.

The UK’s food poverty rate is among the highest in Europe. Despite being the sixth richest country in the world, millions are struggling to access the food they need. One in seven people across the UK (14 per cent) are skipping meals or going without food because they can’t afford the essentials. And more than two-fifths (44 per cent) of Brits are having to cut back on food spending.

This waste is also a huge environmental issue as most of it goes to landfill where it releases a great deal of the greenhouse gas, methane into the atmosphere. Methane is 25 times more damaging to the ozone layer than carbon dioxide. The production, transportation, storage and packaging of all this waste food also has a big impact.

Otley 2030 Community Development Lead, Andrew Howarth said: “Otley 2030 aims to address this waste by working with local restaurants, retailers and food producers to divert food, through our Community Larder, making sure it gets to those who need it most.”

When the Community Larder is open, the organisers envisage it will work with a small weekly fee, however nobody will be turned away if they can’t afford to pay. Shoppers will then be able to select from a range of pantry, frozen and refrigerated goods. Otley 2030 are currently in discussion with Weston Lane Football Club about running the Community Larder from their club house.

Co-op members will be able to support this work by visiting: www.coop.co.uk/membership and selecting Otley 2030 as their local cause. If you’re not a member yet, you can sign up on the same page for £1. Then for every £1 spent at any Co-op branch or funeral parlour, 2p goes towards Otley 2030.

Find out more about Otley 2030 at www.otley2030.com, email hello@otley2030.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.