Foodbank and why I want to go back to Cowbridge

Along the main street in Cowbridge

 

Last Saturday, I went into the little town of Cowbridge to help an organisation known as the Foodbank. More specifically the Bridgend Foodbank (Bridgend is a nearby town too). Cowbridge is one of the most affluent towns (a senior told me it was the wealthiest town in the whole of South Wales), while Bridgend is one of the poorest. This might seem slightly unusual since they are about 10 minutes away from each other, but then again, where there are people with plenty, there must be people with little. 

Cars waiting to be filled with groceries

What the Foodbank does is hand out food to people who are unable to supply themselves and their families with the bare necessities. They run a shop in Bridgend where the locals come in to ask for things like cereal, chopped tomatoes, biscuits, etc. In order to supply their Foodbank, they need to receive donations (either monetary or the food itself) and that is where the 6 volunteers from Atlantic College come in). What we were to do for Foodbank was to stand at the entrance to Waitrose and distribute shopping lists to incoming grocery shoppers. The shopping list had the items that the Foodbank was asking for donations of, and encouraged shoppers to get one or two of the items while shopping. On their way out, they would pass it to the Foodbank booth, collecting these items. They would be brought back to Bridgend and put in the shop for collection by those in need.

WAITROSE!!!

I enjoyed myself immensely. It was not always easy to convince people that it would be in their interest to donate to the Foodbank. Let alone, get them to take the shopping list. However, there were definitely more people willing to donate and eager to find out more about the Foodbank than those on the flipside. In fact, we saw a great number of very generous donations that day. It was extremely satisfying and I really like the idea of a Foodbank. I think that by preparing the list of food the organisation requires and handing them out at supermarkets, more people will contribute. The buying of tinned food for example does not cost too much, and it also has a greater immediate effect on the people it goes to. 

Gals 'n' trolleys!

Such collections usually take place once a month and I can't wait for the next one. I am considering volunteering on a weekly basis as well at the Bridgend foodbank distribution centre because I feel very moved by the mission and work of this organisation. I will attach the link to their website below and please do take a look at the good work they do! Even if you're out of the UK, I think you can still benefit from the awareness it spreads (:

A beautiful day for a cuppa

However, other than volunteer on Saturday, I also managed to explore the town of Cowbridge. We had about an hour before our shift and so I decided to see what this town was all about. My first stop was Cafe Nero, which is sort of like the Starbucks of the UK. I had wanted to look for the pastry made by the Bad boys' Bakery, a project of Gordon Ramsay's. It would take a while to explain the story behind the bakery so again I will attach the link to the website, but basically the pastries are made by prisoners in Brixton. Cafe Nero is one of the chains that has agreed to sell the products made by the prisoners and they currently sell their lemon treacle slice.

As my sister would say,
"FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!!!"

Sadly, after talking to the two lovely baristas on shift, I found out that only the Cafe Nero stores in London and Brixton stock the slices. Therefore, I had to contend with the other pastries on sale. I ended up ordering a cappuccino, and three different sweet treats. Namely, a lemon ricotta cheesecake, millionaire shortbread and a gluten free carrot cake. THEY WERE ALL AMAZING. I really enjoyed my tea and had a good chat with the baristas and some of the other customers.

The cozy Cafe Nero

After my tea break, I headed off for the main street of Cowbridge. Since I had spent quite a while in Cafe Nero, I didn't have much time to spend roaming the streets. I ended up only going into two shops, the first was WHSmith (the equivalent of Singapore's Popular), where I got a bar of Cadbury for James, a fellow Powysian, because it was his 17th birthday. 

The other side of the main street

Afterwards I went to a charity shop, and boy do they have good deals. I got the book One Day for only a pound fifty (equal to 3 SGD) while it would have cost me at least 15 pounds in a regular bookshop. I was glowing after my little shopping spree, and all the way back to Waitrose for the start of my shift. 

COWBRIDGE

All in all as you can probably tell, I really enjoyed my time in Cowbridge. I got the opportunity to meet many new people, volunteer for a great cause, have an awesome tea break and do a little shopping. That is what you call a satisfying Saturday! 

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." - Auguste Rodin



Link for the Bridgend Foodbank: http://bridgend.foodbank.org.uk/ 

Link for the Bad Boys' Bakery: http://www.badboysbakery.org/index.html