Plan for giant warehouse to support food charities

A plan for charities across the West of England to share a giant warehouse has been described as "the first of its kind in the country."

The West of England combined authority (Weca) and the organisation Bristol Charities are each pledging to put in £2million to create a central hub where food and other essentials could be stored and distributed.

It is hoped the new space will enable charities to increase the number of families they can help.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been providing advice on the project, which is part of the metro mayor Helen Godwin's plans to tackle child poverty across the region.

Food redistribution charity FareShare South West would be one of the tenants in the new warehouse, and has welcomed the plans.

"Space is our biggest constraint at the moment," said its deputy CEO Josie Forsyth, as she explained the organisation is currently having to turn donated food away due to a lack of cold storage.

FareShare delivers around two million meals a year to charities and schools across the West of England. Forsyth says the new hub could increase that to five million a year by 2030.

"It could have a transformational impact," she added.

About 67,000 children are currently growing up in poverty across the West of England region, according to the charity's figures.

"I will do all I can to change outcomes for those children," said Godwin. "It's fundamental to me.

"We talk all the time about economic growth, but none of that really matters unless people feel the difference and unless that growth reaches everyone."

Renting a depot has become "increasingly expensive", says Bristol Charities CEO Julian Mines.

"There's a real risk of charities that do this kind of redistribution work being priced out of the market," he said.

Bristol Charities exists to support charities across the city, providing workspaces and encouraging collaboration.

The new warehouse will be available to charities for an "affordable" rent, below the market rate.

It could include catering facilities to enable them to provide community meals, as well as training in food hygiene, work experience and apprenticeships for young people out of work.

By sharing facilities it is hoped charities will be able to save on other costs as well.

Mines says it will be "the biggest single investment" his organisation has made.

"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create something really quite exceptional," he added.

The project was inspired by the work of former Prime Minister and child poverty campaigner Gordon Brown, who has helped to set up donation points for big businesses across the country, called "multibanks".

Godwin said Brown's support for the West of England initiative "means the world".

"Everyone knows someone who's in their family or in wider circles who has had a rough time of it over the last few years," she said. "This is about us doing our bit collectively to support those people."

It's expected the warehouse will open in around a year's time, once a full business plan has been prepared and approved.

The exact location is yet to be decided.