Kendal Town Council support local charity, Waste into Wellbeing, to meet the recommendations of Kendal’s Climate Change Citizens Jury

Waste into Wellbeing, Kendal’s dedicated social food project which redistributes rescued food, has found a new venue to expand its positive impact thanks to support from Kendal Town Council.

The new venue on Highgate will be known as ‘The Eddington Kendal’ and comprises of the former Kendal United Reformed Church, built in 1898 as the Zion Congregational Chapel and the adjacent sports hall built in the 1960s. The current owner, Bruce Withington, bought the building in 2022 with the aim of preserving the church (a listed Grade 2 building) and the sports hall as a community asset for Kendal.

”We’re delighted to be working in partnership with South Lakes Action on Climate Change and Kendal Town Council to breathe new life back into the hall. We look forward to inviting more organisations to explore the space with a view to offering complementary activities allowing the community to make full use of The Eddington”.

To help facilitate the move, Bruce, together with members of South Lakes Action on Climate Change (the charity behind Waste into Wellbeing) has created a new Community Interest Company with a board of volunteer directors, who bring both global and local expertise, to ensure the Eddington becomes a true community asset. The new CIC will manage the building on behalf of, and in collaboration with the town’s community to deliver an inspirational, practical, and realistic approach to current and future climate challenges.

The Eddington Kendal will allow Waste into Wellbeing to grow its operation and continue to serve customers from its community larder, Kendal People’s Café and community cooking experiences, as well as welcoming additional customers who will enjoy the new vibrant café.

The vision for the premises is to use the increased space to demonstrate how Kendal Town Council and its partners continue to respond to the recommendations of the Kendal Climate Change Citizens Climate Jury. The creation of a ‘One Stop Shop’ of climate information and demonstratable action was a key recommendation of Jury Members.

The Eddington will be a sustainability themed venue with a community café at its heart, where people can meet, learn and support one another in creating healthy sustainable lifestyles.

Chris Rowley South Lakes Action on Climate Change and WIW Volunteer said ‘Waste into Wellbeing is thrilled to be part of saving this building and developing it for community use. We look forward to working with all our partners over the coming years in creating an exciting new space in Kendal, designed to support the community as well as acting on Climate Jury recommendations’

In addition to the Community Café and climate themed murals, learning area and displays, the CIC team plan to set up a bike recycling and repurposing operation and will be inviting other groups to work with them on resurrecting the Victorian kitchen garden at the rear of the building to demonstrate other lifestyle changes that can lead to reducing carbon.

To follow the CICs activity and find out how to get involved, follow their Facebook and Instagram pages @EddingtonKendal.