Plans for the Shepton Mallet Community Fridge are well underway. But people in the town are being asked to help put the final pieces in place to get it up and running.

Once open, the fridge will be sited outside Haskins, and will be stocked donated food that will be available to anyone in the town. The aim is to tackle food waste by giving away food that might otherwise end up in the bin.

"The UK wastes around 9.5 million tonnes of food every year," said Victoria Ross, one of the team of volunteers behind the project. "We think there is a solution and we want to be a part of it. Our aim is to help reduce food waste within the local community of Shepton Mallet. Once open the fridge will there for anyone and everyone to use."

The plan has attracted a lot of support, with the Shepton Mallet Men's Shed offering to construct a building to house the fridge, and Atticus Green Design Company creating some eye-catching branding free of charge.

"We are very grateful for the help," said Victoria. "The branding looks great, and it means that we can sell branded tote bags and other branded items to help raise funds."

Despite the offers of help so far, the team still need funds to help get the project off the ground. "We are currently waiting for various funding bodies to accept our funding applications so we can get the project off the ground. And we're hopeful that Shepton Mallet Town Council will be able to offer some help, but we will have to wait a few more weeks to hear about that.

"We're currently running a go-fund-me page for the local community to invest. It would be really beneficial if as many people as possible could donate just a pound or two, particularly if they think they will use the community fridge in the future.

"We also have a penny pot in the Art Bank where people can donate too if they don't use the internet." 

The team are also appealing for help running a stall at Collett Day in June.

"We're a team of volunteers and finding the time is tricky," said Victoria. "But hopefully there is someone out there who could promote the day for us? They would just need to tell people what were about, perhaps offer some details and hand out some freebies if we can get some food donations."

For more information about the Community Fridge follow the Facebook page.

Anyone who thinks they may be able to help in any way can email [email protected]