Re-f-use

DATES FOR DECEMBER! Which are you coming along to? 🎄

We have waste not boxes and fish hampers available this morning

We have waste not boxes available tomorrow from 10am and collect at 10:30am, aswell as brunch being served from 10am until 1pm and amazing locally sourced coffee

Reminder that Recyke y'Bike are selling discounted kids bikes from the cafe tomorrow afternoon 1-3pm. *PLEASE NOTE They only have a small number available on a first come first served basis*
We'd love you to stop by and have a coffee while you have a look!

Another busy day in the cafe!
Open again tomorrow 10-3, see you then ☕️🐶

Our amazing volunteers have spent time putting together a tombola table with all of the random items that have appeared in our surplus collections this year. Pop down NEXT THURSDAY 14th from 10am, £1 for 5 tickets, when it's gone it's gone!

This coming Saturday 9th December, Recyke y'Bike will have bikes for sale in the cafe 1-3pm. Amazingly affordable prices, perfect for a Christmas present. Why not drop down and have a coffee while you browse ☕🚴‍♂️

We still have a few waste not boxes left for collection today open until 3pm

We still have waste not boxes available, £15 for a mixed box full of food

Waste not boxes available from 10am, collect at 10:30am, why not have a coffee while you wait or a spot of brunch served between 10am-1pm.

Do you love cooking? Or do you know someone who does and wants to learn more about fermenting and pickling food? We've got the perfect Christmas gift for you and them! Kicking off in February we are running a three-week course covering all the basic techniques of fermenting (kraut, kimchi, chili sauce, kombucha), dehydrated snacks, chutneys and pickles. You'll learn new skills and get to take everything home. Great for using surplus, gluts and saving food waste, as well as delicious and good for your belly.

Starting Saturday 3rd Feb: 3pm - 4.30pm

The course costs £85 for all three sessions.
*We are also offering a small number of subsidised places to our current volunteers.*

If you are interested in booking a place on our course, please contact Sian - [email protected] / 07907463591

🎄 Who's excited about our Christmas Fair? 🎄
We'd love you to spread the word and invite your friends, only 15 days to go!

Delicious looking menu at refuse today, why not call in for some coffee and cake

Our friends at y'Bike are collecting balance bikes to repair for a Horden Nursery School. If you have one that isn't being used, drop it off at their shop on Ropery Lane!

Burnhope Primary School 's Waste Warriors love soup and are keen to have soup on their school dinner menu because
🍲 'Soup helps you fight illness and encourages you to eat when you are not feeling hungry'
‍🩺 'There is nothing better to eat if you have a sore throat or a wobbly tooth'
🤸‍♀️ 'Soup is healthy and tasty'
🥕 'Soup is a good way to use the vegetables that we grow at school and a good way to use unused vegetables from the kitchen'

So the Waste Warriors have lobbied the school catering team at Stanley Learning Partnership. Fingers crossed!

Waste Warriors are supported by Eat Smart, an Educational Programme which engages primary school pupils in the causes of and solutions to food waste.

For more information, watch our lovely film about the project https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamFilm and please read our report which summarises the wide ranging impacts we've made and things we've learnt along the way https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamReport
https://refusedurham.org.uk/outreach/

We still have waste not boxes available in the cafe £15 for all this lovely food. Why note have a god of our smoothy bike while you pick up a boxb

We have waste not boxes still available and brunch being served until 1pm

This Saturday we have our normal brunch from 10am-1pm (veggie, vegan and GF options available). Waste not Boxes available to buy from 10am and collect from 10.30am. We also will have our very own (new) smoothie bike set up from 1.30pm till 3pm where you'll be able to make a pedal powered smoothie!!!

Fighting to reduce food waste at St. Michael's C of E Primary School, the busy Waste Warriors are on a mission to change the contents of their School Fruit and Veg boxes and are keen to share their ideas including
🍅 how to reduce the waste (with smaller tomatoes for smaller mouths) and
🥭 how to introduce children to new fruit (including different varieties of dried fruits).

They can’t wait to hear back from the School Fruit and Veg Scheme.

Eat Smart is an Educational Programme which engages primary school pupils in the causes of and solutions to food waste.
For more information, watch our lovely film about the project https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamFilm and please read our report which summarises the wide ranging impacts we've made and things we've learnt along the way https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamReport
https://refusedurham.org.uk/outreach/

Our next volunteer induction session is next *Wednesday 29th November 4pm-6pm*. If you are interested in volunteering at REfUSE come along to find out more and hear about how you can get involved in the cafe and our other projects such as Eat Smart.

(Photo shows some of our fabulous supported volunteers making some planet friendly christmas decorations for the cafe)

Did you know that *two million turkeys* and *74 million mince pies* are wasted in the UK every December? Christmas is a special time of family, celebration and cosy treats, but it is also a time of over-consumption and waste. It can also be a really difficult time of year for many people, for many reasons.

For the sixth year running, REfUSE cafe is opening its doors on Christmas day for a very special Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings, made from rescued surplus food. We expect to have about 80-100 guests, we’ll have a festive afternoon of games, songs and presents, bringing together all our cafe family and inviting in anyone who might find themselves lonely, hungry or struggling on Christmas Day. The whole affair will be a family one, with little divide between volunteers and guests, it’ll be “all hands on deck” and we’ve all got something to give at Christmas time!

If you would like to attend, or know someone that would, please pop in to the cafe any time to book your place, or email [email protected]. Anyone is welcome, whatever your circumstances, we won't ask.

If you would like to help, we need the following volunteer help:
- We are really in need of *drivers* to give lifts to and from REfUSE cafe on the day. You can join us for the meal too, or just drop off between 11-12 and collect between 3-4.
- We are looking for any *musicians* or anyone interested in providing some entertainment for guests.
- We still have a handful of spaces for helpers in the kitchen, washing up and serving on the day.
If you can help with any of these things, please contact [email protected]

Please note we are not asking for donations of presents or decorations this year, we will post again in December if there's anything we particularly need.

Thank you!

Who's coming to our Christmas Fair on 16th December?
Here is just a quick preview of some of the amazing stall holders we have coming along this year. We'll also have activities for kids while the adults shop, including a chance to make your own badge and maybe even meet Father Christmas! Why not share this post or the event to help spread the word! 🎄🎄🎄
https://fb.me/e/3evWB21gV



Seaham Seashell
Durham Coffee Roasters
Mischiefs Manifold

We've loved working with Pelton Youth Project over the last few weeks, last week we were doing apple pressing! 🍎🍏

You can catch the kids explaining the process of apple pressing on BBC Radio Newcastle here.

If you'd like to find out what workshops we can run with your group or organisation please send us a message to [email protected]

Only four weeks to go until our annual Christmas Fair!
We've got lots of stalls from amazing local businesses, activities for kids while parents shop all accompanied by live festive music.
£1 donation on the door - we'd love to see you there! 🎄

We have an impressive bunch of volunteers at REfUSE and we have the chance to work with impressive young people including this bunch of Waste Warriors at South Stanley Infant and Nursery School (here planning how to reduce food waste in their school).

We would love you to watch our lovely film about our Eat Smart project https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamFilm and read our report which summarises the wide ranging impacts we've made and things we've learnt along the way https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamReport

Starting tomorrow, Saturday brunches will be served from 10am until 1pm. This will include full breakfasts and pastries. Please note that there will be no lunches. Waste not boxes available from 10.30am

Write up about how bus strikes are seriously affecting our community:

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/go-north-east-strikes-chesterlestreet-28118158

"Sarah Stoker, of Refuse Café on Front Street, says that the footfall in the town has declined rapidly since the indefinite strike began on October 28. The café relies on several volunteers to run, though some of them are unable to get into work...The café has got an amazing community feel, but the strikes are affecting that terribly. Not just the customers who are completely isolated, but some of our customers come in and their only friends are friends they've made in here."

#

Jo's Vegan Tasting Menu is SOLD OUT for next week but we will be hosting another Vegan Restaurant Night to celebrate Veganuary early in the new year. Keep your eyes peeled for tickets.

*As always these dishes may change according to our supply of surplus food, but we promise they will always be delicious!

We've had the opportunity to fit another restaurant night date in the diary for Thursday 30th November. This is will be a delicious menu designed by Nikki and Pete - with a fusion of influences from Korea, Thailand and China.

Book your table now at bit.ly/refuserestaurant

We absolutely love reading feedback like this, our volunteers work so hard to keep us running each week, and your support allows us to keep working in our community. ☕

Waste not boxes all sold out for today but why not pop down and have some lunch

Waste Not Boxes will be on sale from 10am, ready to collect at 10:30am as always they are sold on a first come first served basis.

⭐️CAKE⭐️COFFEE⭐️COMMUNITY⭐️
There’s a lovely buzz in the cafe today, so many tasty lunch options on offer, prepared and served by our amazing volunteers.
We appreciate all our regulars, as well as the new faces we see each week. Thankyou!

We are so impressed with the new Waste Warriors at South Stanley Infant and Nursery School! They are busy this week collecting and weighing all the food waste from around their school. The Waste Warriors have also begun thinking about ways to reduce the waste going in the bins. What stars! 💫

We would love you to watch our lovely film about our Eat Smart project https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamFilm and read our report which summarises the wide ranging impacts we've made and things we've learnt along the way https://bit.ly/EatSmartDurhamReport

REMINDER that the cafe is closed tomorrow for staff training. Apologies for any inconvenience caused - we would love to see you on another day this week! 🫖☕