Village says farewell to the Kingsclere Community Larder

The Kingsclere Community Larder held its final session last week, with volunteers and organisers gathering to mark the occasion.

The unique service – which operated out of St Mary’s Church for three years and officially ceased on Thursday, February 27 – offered residents low-cost food and basic groceries which came from public donations.

The larder had to close due to a decrease in donations, volunteers and customers over the last six months.

The community larder chair Maggy Wallace said: “We are sorry to have had to do this but falling customer numbers, reduced donations and low volunteer numbers meant that we had make this difficult decision.

“We send our very best wishes to our customers, some of whom we’ve come to know well.

“We couldn’t have done this without over 40 volunteers who have helped over the years or the many individuals who have donated essential money or groceries. Thank you very much.”

The Kingsclere Community Larder opened every Thursday, with mornings dedicated to the volunteers sorting donations and the afternoons to customers who came in to shop.

Hot drinks were also provided which added to the community feel of the larder.

Overall, the larder was open for more than 150 sessions with up to 3,000 customer visits.

The origins of the larder begin in the pandemic when it became clear to Kingsclere residents that some villagers were struggling to get enough food during lockdown.

Getting to food banks in Newbury or Basingstoke was difficult without a car, so a scheme was set up for volunteers to deliver parcels of donated food to households needing support.

More than 25 households were supported until November 2021.

The scheme was much appreciated by those households at the time, but a longer-term solution was needed.

For example, delivering pre-packed bags meant that people weren’t able to choose what groceries they needed.

So, volunteers were recruited, delivery arrangements for fresh and frozen food from Basingstoke Community Food Link were made, shelving was erected in the Kingsmill Room to store and display the products and the opening times publicised across the village – the Kingsclere Community Larder was born.