Havens Food Cooperative is thrilled to announce that we have been selected as finalists in the 2026 BBC Make A Difference Awards, a recognition that celebrates organisations making a powerful impact in their communities.

This nomination is for the Environmental Projects Category and shines a light on our ongoing mission to reduce food waste, protect the environment and support local residents through our surplus food redistribition initiative. It reflects the dedication of our volunteers, partners and supporters who make this work possible every day.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has championed us- from the local stores who donate surplus food, to the volunteers who give their time collecting it, and the community members who stand with us in support- Thank You to our wonderful community, what an honour it is to be nominated. 

The latest edition of Havens Happenings, our online quarterly Newsletter, is out!

Click here to read: https://preview.mailerlite.io/.../emails/193887936938247884

And don't forget you can subscribe to always be kept in the loop using the form on our wesbite: https://www.havenscommunityhub.co.uk/

You may have heard that the Havens Community Hub has recently, and with the help of some fantastic donors, purchased a property in Newhaven! We are excited to be renovating this space into a fit for purpose support centre called the Havens Centre!

On Monday 17th August 2026 we had an incredible opportunity to welcome community representatives into our new Support Centre space, pre-renovation. Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared ideas, enjoyed coffee and cake, and helped shape the future of homelessness and housing security support in the area.

Your feedback on the renovation plans, partnership opportunities, and community priorities is already helping us refine the next stage of development. We’re excited to keep you updated as the project moves forward and we’ll be sharing more photos and information about the project very soon.

Monday's event showed just how much passion and care Newhaven has for supporting people who need it most.

Thank you for being part of the journey, and make sure to give us a follow to see what's to come next!

Newhaven’s Mayor, Councillor Mark Wardle, is set to take on a full 26.2‑mile marathon as part of his year‑long fundraising campaign- all in support of two brilliant local charities:

Homeless in the Havens (Havens Community Hub) & The Rainy Day Foundation

Mark shared:

“I wanted my year in office to make a real difference to the people who call our town home. Every mile I run and every fundraising event we hold is aimed at supporting two incredible charities that help local people facing hardship.”

Every donation big or small- helps us continue providing essential support to people in the Havens.

We would like to take a moment to cheer him on today and thank him for supporting the work we do in our community

Don't forget our community pantry is open every single day!

Thats 365 days a year you can access surplus supplies, from 9am until stocks last!

Havens Community Hub, 2a Thompson Road, Denton, Newhaven, BN9 0RS

Every penny helps us to continue running the community pantry- fighting waste and feeding the community!

Thank you for your support.

https://bit.ly/DonateHavensHub

Did you know that Havens Food Cooperative runs a Pop‑Up Pantry initiative across the Havens area? It brings surplus food directly into communities- reducing food waste and supporting local families.

You can find surplus food at these locations across the week:

Friends of Bishopstone Station — Mondays, 10am–1pm, Old Parcel Room Community Hub

Seaford Environmental Alliance — Saturdays, 10am–1pm, Climate Hub, Seaford

Hillcrest Community Centre — Monday–Friday, 9:30am until supplies run out, Newhaven

Kempton House Day Centre — Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:30am–2pm, Peacehaven

Together, these groups work in partenrship with us to make surplus food more accessible for everyone, for the benefit of the environment and the community, pop along and give them a visit!

#communitygroups #fightingwaste #FeedingCommunity #FoodWastePrevention #communityproject

Read about the Latest activties of our community projects and legacy charities over at: https://preview.mailerlite.io/emails/webview/761012/184377760883410304?fbclid=IwY2xjawRJ3n9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA3VTVEVHNJMXZMSG9Hd1ZWc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiEhZ-PmUHTE8XgvnGdy8n0aTWrJwH878A_0Fi9nliHhyVoPTvdqfbcz8ec6_aem_zt3f89mbV2w_MY0bXMcrXg

And don’t forget to subscribe!

Three years ago, Havens Community Hub joined forces with Hillcrest to help the Hillcrest Centre overcome tough financial challenges, exacerbated by the pandemic. Together, we were determined to bring the Centre back as the beating heart of the community.

One of our first steps was reopening the much-loved community café, a place for everyone to connect, enjoy fresh food, and share good times. With Havens’ support, hundreds of free meals were provided to those in need, and we worked hand in hand with Hillcrest to create a welcoming space. The café is now a lively hub, thanks to the dedication of Havens volunteers, Hillcrest Trustees, and both sets of staff. It’s thriving- serving affordable, delicious food to locals, hirers, and visitors. 

Now the Hillcrest Centre are ready to take the reins, ensuring the café continues to shine. We’re excited to see Hillcrest lead the café into its next chapter, keeping it as a treasured asset for the community.

The transition will happen by the end of April. Meanwhile, Havens will continue to provide supported morning meals for rough sleepers at the café until Havens moves to a new location to lead a vital initiative delivering trauma-informed support for people in crisis locally. The Hillcrest Centre will keep the café buzzing with lunches, bookings, and event refreshments.

We’re looking forward to what’s next and will keep sharing updates as our projects grow. Here’s to a brighter, more connected future for everyone!

We are so grateful for our wonderful volunteers, who work tirelessly throughout the year, through every season, to reduce waste and support our community. They are the beating heart of our projects, and we simply couldn’t do this without them.

Our Food Volunteers even continued collecting over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, gathering hundreds of surplus items, including mountains of hot cross buns! To say a big thank you, we made sure each volunteer went home with a well‑deserved chocolate treat.

Thank you, Volunteers - you make everything possible.

Havens Community Hub has created an Amazon Wishlist to support our project, Homeless in the Havens. The items on this list are essential pieces of emergency equipment that help us support people who are rough sleeping, insecurely housed, or experiencing homelessness when they reach us.

If you’re able to purchase & donate an item, we would be incredibly grateful- every contribution makes a real difference.

Donate here: https://bit.ly/HavensHomelessSupport

Havens Food Cooperative are looking for Volunteer Drivers to join our team and assist with Surplus Food Collections. We have afternoon and evening collection routes available in various locations taking just 1-2 hours a week! We reimburse volunteers mileage and are flexible when it comes to scheduling, whether you would like to commit to a route once a week, or would like to offer time on an ad-hoc basis.

For more information on how to get involved, please email:
havensfoodmanager@gmail.com 

In April 2026 the Havens Food Cooperative Project reached yet another significant milestone in food waste prevention and redistribution. Since the start of the project over £2 million worth of surplus food has been collected and redistributed! Through its daily community pantry and pop up pantry initiative, a team of nearly 50 dedicated volunteers, and partnerships with 21 local stores, the project continues to fight food waste while supporting individuals and families experiencing food insecurity across the Havens area.

To mark this milestone, Havens Food Cooperative hosted a celebration event bringing together the many people who make this work possible- including volunteers, supporters, partner organisations, funders, and local dignitaries such as Deputy Lord Lieutenant David Allam and Karen Allam, Deputy Mayor of Peacehaven Aimee Harman, Mayor of Seaford Maggie Wearmouth, Mayor of Newhaven Kim Bishop, and councillors from Peacehaven, Seaford, and Newhaven.

The celebration also looked ahead. Havens Food Cooperative remains committed to expanding its reach, rescuing even more food, and continuing to strengthen the local community through its actions.

A big thank you to @newhavenfc who collected supplies for us at their latest event!

We really appreciate the support from the team, family & friends!

#communitysupport #FeedingCommunity

Our volunteer team over at Havens Food Cooperative are absolutely amazing.

They are collecting from our partnered stores 7 days a week, 364 days a year.

Over just one week our team will visit the stores over 110 times and collect more than 3 tonnes of food, to redistribute it back to the community, supporting those at risk of food insecurity locally and preventing waste to protect the environment!

#havensfoodcooperative #partneredstores #shops #charity #community #havenscommunityhub #support #volunteer #volunteers #volunteering

The wonderful volunteers in our community café- Havens Connections Café have been busy this week making some delicious sweet treats!

Angelique has made some amazing Nutella & biscoff pastries and Julia has whipped up a biscoff and caramel cheesecake with homemade ice cream.

Come enjoy a sweet treat and a warm welcome!

Open Monday-Friday 9:15am - 3pm

At Havens Community Hub, we see every day how much a safe, welcoming space and a warm meal can mean to someone who’s struggling. From tackling food insecurity to supporting wellbeing, the Hub is here because of people like you.

By becoming a monthly supporter, you help us plan ahead and be there when our community needs us most. A small regular gift helps provide food, resources & vital support to local people all year round through our projects Havens Food Cooperative & Havens Connections Cafe.

Regular giving = reliable support

It helps us respond quickly when needs rise

It keeps our projects running- providing food & other resources to those at risk

If you’re able to give a little each month, you’ll be making a lasting difference to lives right here in our community. Thank you for supporting us

https://bit.ly/DonateHavensHub

#havenscommunityhub #monthlysupport #supportneeded

With each ticket priced at just £1, we receive 50p for every ticket sold, making a real difference together.

Not only do you get a chance to support our cause, but you also have a 1 in 50 chance of winning fantastic prizes, including a grand prize of £25,000!

Don't miss out! Head over to:

https://bit.ly/HavensLottery

to purchase your tickets and help us make a positive impact in our community.

Every little bit helps, and together we can achieve so much! Thank you for your support!

#lottery #fundraising #winner #community #leweslocallottery #havenscommunityhub

The Hub and projects, Havens Connections Cafe and Havens Food Cooperative, has been chosen as a local cause- helping us continue our work reducing food waste and supporting our community.

If you’re a Co-op member, you can support us at no extra cost by selecting us as your chosen cause here:

Choose us as your supported cause here!

#CoopCommunity #SupportLocal #FoodWasteAction #HavensCommunity #FeedingCommunity

Havens Community Hub via its work with the Hillcrest Community Centre, Havens Food Cooperative and Havens Connections Cafe has found itself doing what it does best. Responding rapidly to emerging unmet community needs.

To cut a long story short, there has been a rapid increase in homelessness in the Havens and we are trying to help in an impactful partnership between statutory agencies, local authorities and other charities and groups like ourselves.

We would like to offer a massive thanks to everyone who has offered support and donated items for the homeless or insecurely housed people we are currently trying to help locally.

It is a very complicated issue but something that we needed to address.

Our wonderful community can send items for us to use, if you would like to or are able, by looking at the list.

The community has sent many items from our wish-list to help us bridge the gap between local authority support for rough sleepers / insecurely housed, or vulnerable people, or donated bedding and other essential items.

We have no more room for donated items (clothes/bedding) but items from the Amazon list are still very welcome.

Many people donated anonymously with lovely wishes and words of encouragement.

We are working really hard, in partnership with local authorities and other non-profit organisations, to make a difference locally.

THANK YOU

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/KZCE94G5LNRE/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2