On Wednesday 29th October, FareShare Cymru visited the Riverside Autumn Food and Fun festival, hosted at the Wyndham Street Centre.

The event brought members of the local Riverside community together for three hours of fun and friendship. Freshly prepared food from the community centre’s kitchen across the road was served to attendees.

Visitors also enjoyed a cooking demonstration from FareShare Cymru’s chef Liam. He cooked a healthy bean chilli, going through the recipe step-by-step and detailing great kitchen tips and advice.

A Feast for Everyone at Wyndham Street Centre

The Riverside Autumn Food and Fun Festival is part of a city-wide programme of free food events held across Cardiff. Now in its seventh year, the annual celebration runs from early September through to Halloween.

The celebration’s aim is to encourage communities to cook, share and enjoy food together.

Food Cardiff has also offered grants of up to £500 to third-sector organisations, like schools, to deliver their own festival activities. This evidences an appetite for food education and community engagement.

Wyndham Street Centre offers a pantry mainly for those in the Riverside, Canton and Grangetown areas to use. For £6, people are able to pick up good quality groceries to create healthy meals. The pantry is open on Tuesday and Wednesdays for walk-ins.

FareShare Cymru supplies much of the 500kg of food that the centre receives every week. Reducing waste is a key goal for all of those involved in the community centre. Moreover, the pantry is able to cater to people from varying backgrounds, with halal meat available.

How FareShare Cymru Helps Wyndham Street Centre Flourish

Alongside Liam’s demonstration, attendees shared biryani and drinks with each other. Bringing together people of all ages, the festival offered activities for the whole family during the school half-term.

In addition, activities included face painting, drumming and a raffle. Esther, the event’s host in Riverside, helped create a warm and lively atmosphere where all members of the community felt included. Attendees also showed a keen interest in learning more about FareShare Cymru and the work to tackle food waste and support communities across South Wales.

Volunteers also received special thank-you gifts for their dedication.

Rooted in Community, Growing Together

FareShare Cymru’s partnership with Wyndham Street Centre shows how surplus food can make a real difference to local communities, helping provide vital support and bring people together. 

Furthermore, through Tempo Time Credits, FareShare Cymru volunteers earn credits for their time and dedication, which they can exchange for a range of activities and experiences.

Whether you’re helping in our warehouse, fulfilling deliveries or supporting our work in other ways, your time and skills will help good food go further.

Volunteer with FareShare Cymru and help us make a difference, one delivery at a time.