Middlewich and District Foodbank finds its forever home

Middlewich and District Foodbank has been distributing emergency food parcels to families in crisis from its Old Middlewich Police Station base in Queen Street for six of years. 

But towards the end of 2022, trustees learned Cheshire Police weren’t able to renew their lease as they needed the space themselves, which meant they'd have to move.

Middlewich and District Foodbank volunteer, Anna Trelfa (Image: Middlewich and District Foodbank)

The charity has to rent its premises on a fully commercial basis, which it does through a combination of fundraising, cash donations, and sponsorship from businesses.

It took trustees more than a year-and-a-half to find a new home which meets all their needs, but they’ve now secured a new base at Holly House Estate business park, Byley, where they'll be moving to in March. 

Trustee, Amy Townsend, said volunteers at the Trussell Trust-affiliated foodbank are very positivie about the move, but it will mean a bit of a shake-up in the way they do things.

“We’ve been in the centre of Middlewich for a long time, so it’s going to be a bit of a change,” she said.

“Cheshire Police didn’t put any pressure on us. They gave us plenty of time to find the right place, but we knew we were living on borrowed time.

Middlewich Foodbank warehouse manager, Bryan Semple (Image: Middlewich and District Foodbank)

“Nothing suitable was coming up in the centre of Middlewich as our needs are quite specific. We need up to 2,500 square feet, with power, water, toilets, and parking.

“The place we’ve secured now is absolutely ideal. The square footage is generous for our needs, and our new landlord has been amazing.

"It's a little way out into the countryside, but we can easily work around that. 

“Because its out of town, and some of our clients don’t have cars, it just means we’ll have to do the distribution a bit differently.   

“We’re going to have distribution centres in and around the town, which will be fully manned by our dedicated volunteers, who’ll be waiting with our clients’ food parcels.”

The move comes just in time for volunteers and supporters to mark the service's upcoming 10-year anniversary at their new base on Thursday, June 6.

Amy added: “We’ll be holding an open day for our supporters, including our business sponsors Project One, Cheshire Pet Medical Centre, and Anwyl Homes.

"Not to forgot our wonderful contacts at the town’s supermarkets, who do so much to provide us with food, and our referal agencies." 

"We hope the open day will help us attract some new sponsors to help us cover our costs."

If you or your business would like to speak someone about sponsoring Middlewich and District Foodbank, you can contact them via their Facebook page, or by calling 07712 279949.