Eastfield free community fridge 'may start charging' due to rising costs
Eastfield's free community fridge has been there since May this year
Volunteers in Eastfield say they are worried they might have to start charging for people to start using the free community fridge.
It is because of rising costs such as energy bills, rent and insurance.
Since its introduction in May, nearly 1,400 people have used it, saving 4.15 tonnes of waste that would otherwise go to landfill by supermarkets and businesses.
Rachel Calvert, Vice-Chair of Eastfield Free Community Fridge, said: "The maximum we've had in one day is 127 people. It's only just going to get worse with the climate that we're in at the moment. It does vary from week to week but I think one week we had 67 and the week after it's 127 so."
Jim Bullock, Treasurer, said: "We're really frightened about what's going to happen as we get through October and November when the energy bills start hitting in. The difficulty is that supermarkets generally are getting much cleverer in the way they're controlling their food supply. We're a last resort as far as they're concerned.
"We're trying to avoid charging people if we possibly can. We know that the idea of spending a pound or a couple of quid would not generally be a problem. If they collect one loaf of bread from us then they get their money back. A lot of people get more than that.
"The trouble is that the people who are the most in need are the least likely to spend here. We really don't want to get in that situation, but we have to pay our rent here, delivery charges, insurance and the training course we have to do.
"I never imagined that in England, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we would ever have to have this sort of thing but we do have it and that's the way it is. It's the way it's going to be for the foreseeable future provided we can continue getting supplies, we'll continue operating somehow or other."
You can contact the volunteers at the community free fridge in Eastfield on their Facebook page.