A team of volunteers from the Brighton depot of Covers Timber & Builders Merchants has helped to start the work to transform an old council building into a Community Fridge.

The team from Covers spent time helping to refurbish the building, which is based at Forest Row, including tidying and painting. The generous company also donated a lot of the materials to go towards completing the project.

The initiative, which aims to reduce food waste and assist any member of the community including those in need. The charity is encouraging local businesses and residents in the community to donate surplus food, including sealed packaged food, cheeses, fresh fruit, table sauces, pastry, unopened milk and yoghurt, unopened fruit juices, salads and eggs.

Gareth Young, a sales representative at Covers Brighton, was one of the volunteers. He said:

“It has been a pleasure helping to start the work to transform this building for such a great cause. It’s particularly rewarding knowing it is going to make a real difference to families in need in our community and to reduce food waste, which is a priority in our society today. We really enjoyed renovating it and can’t wait to see the Fridge in action.”

Sara Smart, who is from The Community Fridge, said:

“Everyone at The Forest Row Community Fridge would like to thank the team at Covers for helping to start the work on this project and get us a huge step closer to opening the doors on December 2nd. We’re hoping this exciting initiative will make a positive difference to those in our community.”