Hounslow Council’s freshly refurbished kitchen at Bedfont Lane Community Centre, is being put to excellent use with the arrival of FoodCycle and some first-rate volunteers.
Published: Friday, 16th May 2025
Cllr Ajmer Grewal, Cabinet Member for Residents Support, Communities and Equalities, met volunteers and welcomed guests on Thursday, 15 May.
FoodCycle is a national charity that runs free community meals at venues around the country, turning surplus food into delicious dishes for anyone who needs them. Hounslow Council is working with them and valued community activist, Carol Cattemull, the volunteer manager at Bedfont Lane Community Centre, who helps to bring in local people and supports at these events.
Every Thursday, FoodCycle and local volunteers transform the centre into a café themed dining hall, complete with gingham topped tables. Other volunteers head to the kitchen to plan and prepare a fresh, healthy, nutritious and plentiful three-course lunch menu. They use surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, supplied by food redistribution charity Surplus to Supper. This is served free of charge to local guests at lunchtime.
Cllr Grewal with Joe from FoodCyle and Carol of the Bedfont Lane Community Centre
Hounslow Council works on this and many other drop-in projects across the borough, supporting residents who are struggling with the cost of food. The Council brings help with foodbanks and free community dining, close to the people who need them most.
Other support services are also available at Council-managed community dining events and foodbanks. Council teams and partner organisations offer support to anyone looking for help with housing, work, health, safety and more.
Cllr Grewal in the kitchen with the FoodCycle volunteers
Cllr Ajmer Grewal said:
It’s been inspiring to see how all these local volunteers, FoodCycle and our guests, make weekly community dining a magical experience.
The cheery tablecloths transform the space, and it was lovely to see people catching-up with old friends and making some new ones. While enjoying some expertly prepared nutritious food and saving it from going to waste.
Volunteers offer ready smiles and do all they can to make guests feel welcome, giving them the best possible community-dining experience. It was lovely to join in and learn more about what else we can do to support people in Bedfont.
Cllr Grewal joins guests at Bedfont Lane community dining event
Joe O’Kelly, FoodCycle Regional Manager for South London, said:
We’ve had a brilliant response from the local community at FoodCycle Feltham – both from volunteers giving up their time to help, and guests who come along to enjoy the meals.
We’re grateful to Hounslow Council for providing the venue, and for the support from the team at Bedfont Lane Community Centre. This has enabled us to serve more than 600 free community meals so far this year, and we’ve saved almost two tonnes of surplus food from going to waste.
It’s a lovely atmosphere, and we’re always open to welcoming more people to get involved. Everyone is invited to join us to eat, no matter what their life circumstances, and free training is provided for volunteers.
Josephine from Feltham and other FoodCycle volunteers preparing food
Carol said:
It's amazing on Thursdays, I always look forward to being there. The staff from FoodCycle Joe and Molly, are lovely, and the volunteers are amazing, they all do a fantastic job.
It's a beautiful atmosphere, nobody feels out of place coming for lunch, for whatever reason. We had people aged from three to 90 years old today and we help many people who won't ask for help and are too embarrassed to go to a food bank. The food is amazing, we advise people not to eat before they get here!
Cllr Grewal with Mercy and Abs from Hounslow CAB
Find out more about food support projects, in Hounslow: https://hounslowconnect.com/categories/food
