The ethos of the Community Hub is to provide a range of community services that support the residents of Tiptree and surrounding villages. We will do this through the following objectives:
Giving access to food which prevents food waste and helps reduce costs and prevent food poverty.
Providing a warm, safe space for people to visit and spend time, keeping warm and helping to prevent social Isolation.
Recruiting and training volunteers who will work with us to provide and develop our community services.
Providing other services that meet the changing needs of the local community, including the promotion of good physical and mental health and well-being.
Who We Are
Tiptree Community Hub was founded by a group of local volunteers on a quest to develop a place where unwanted food could be redistributed. In December 2022, we acquired premises in Station Road Tiptree and were able to open to the general public in January 2023. Tiptree Community Hub is a Community Interest Company (CIC registered number:14607050). We are non-profit making with a reliance on grant funding and donations to cover our core costs and activities.
Since beginning as a community fridge, we have grown into a place where friendships are formed, confidence is rebuilt, wellbeing is nurtured and lives are changed.
Run by a dedicated team of 38 volunteers, we not only collect surplus food from supermarkets and retailers in the local area, but also operate a welcoming cafe and promote improved health and wellbeing.
Eveything we do is made possible through the generosity, commitment and kindness of our volunteers, supports, fundraisers and community partners. Together we are building a stronger, healthier and more connected Tiptree.
The community fridge may have been where our journey began, but today Tiptree Community Hub is about so much more than food. It is about bringing people together, supporting wellbeing, reducing isolation, protecting the environment and creating opportunities for people of all ages to thrive.
What We Do
The Community Fridge and Larder:
The Community Fridge network is a national project, supported and initially funded by Hubbub and the COOP. We work with the food suppliers in the village and further afield to salvage food that is within use by date for our community fridge and freezer.
The Community Fridge has been established within the village to help all of the community. For £2, visitors can access up to 7kg of food which may include fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, cakes and dairy products. It is not means tested and encourages all residents to visit and reduce food waste. So far, we have saved in the region of an incredible 77 tonnes of perfectly good food from landfill. Food that would otherwise have been wasted is instead helping local households cope with the rising cost of living whilst having a positive environmental impact. The £2 donation helps support the running of the hub by contributing to our rent and running costs.
We are also proud to work closely with Tiptree Food Bank, recognising that we have different but equally important roles within our community. Working collaboratively, we bring together our collective strengths to ensure that vulnerable members of our community receive the support they need, thereby creating a stronger network of care within Tiptree.
How much surplus food we’ve saved from landfill each year:
Promoting health and wellbeing is a key part of our mission. Every Wednesday, our popular Move it or Lose it classes help older adults stay active, improving their mobility, balance and helping to prevent falls.
Twice a month, The Hub hosts Singing for the Brain sessions delivered by an Alzheimer's Society facilitator. These uplifting sessions use music to stimulate memories, improve wellbeing and create joyful shared experiences.
In partnership with The Outhouse Colchester, we also host a wellbeing youth group for LGBTQ+ young people aged 13 to 19. Meeting on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month, the group provides a safe, welcoming and judgement free space where young people can make friends, enjoy activities, share experiences and simply be themselves.
The hub also works closely with local families of children with SEND needs, offering drawing and talking therapy sessions and private swim sessions that support both children and their parents.
A weekly knit and natter group, alongside monthly local litter picks also feature in our activity schedule.
The Community Café:
Alongside our Community Fridge, we operate a welcoming cafe that is open on Fridays and Sundays for hot and cold drinks and cake. During the colder months, it also serves as a warm space where people can enjoy refreshments, hot food and conversation.
School Uniform:
Within the hub we have preloved uniform available for all of the primary and secondary schools in the village which has been donated to us. This uniform is available for you to take during our opening hours and we also accept uniform that it is in very good condition.
