On 4 and 5 July, the FareShare North East team headed to the Festival of Thrift in Kirkleatham, Redcar, joining thousands of visitors for a weekend celebrating creativity and community action.

From pre-loved fashion and local traders to hands-on workshops, the festival showcased practical ways people can live more sustainably. We were delighted to be part of it, with our own stall and a series of Love Food, Hate Waste cooking workshops delivered in partnership with Nourish Food School.

Across the weekend, our Head Chef, Gemma, joined David from Nourish Food School to demonstrate a simple, delicious recipe – Korean-style beans on toast!

The recipe uses ingredients many people already have in their cupboards. Even better, every ingredient used in the demonstrations came directly from our warehouse, highlighting how easy it can be to reduce food waste at home while creating affordable and nutritious meals.

You can find the tasty recipe here on Nourish Food School’s website.

Our stall also gave us the chance to speak with visitors about FareShare North East’s work redistributing surplus food across the region. Alex Young, our Partnerships Manager, said: “The best part of the weekend was talking to visitors. It was brilliant to share our mission and connect with so many like-minded people who care about making good food go further.”

She added that many visitors also joined our surplus cooking workshops across the weekend, showing just how keen people are to learn easy, practical ways to save money, reduce waste and create delicious meals from surplus food.

We were also pleased to provide of surplus drinks and snacks for festival volunteers, including fruit, cereal bars, biscuits, and tea, to help to keep the team fuelled as they made the event such a success.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend filled with great conversations, new connections and plenty of enthusiasm for reducing food waste. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by our stall or joined a workshop. We look forward to returning next year!

On Saturday 13^th June, Team Ripple Effect took on the Coventry Building Society Great North Swim, completing a one-mile open water swim in Lake Windermere. The team brought together our very own Ruth Jackson and Kate Roebuck, alongside a group of dedicated and supportive family members, all united by a shared goal.

Facing waters at a brisk 15.7°C, the team demonstrated incredible determination, resilience and team spirit throughout the event. For some, it was a significant personal challenge. As one swimmer reflected, “It was the hardest event I have ever done. But it was worth it to know we were helping move good food to charities who need it most.”

Thanks to the generosity and encouragement of supporters, the team smashed their fundraising goal. Together, they raised an incredible £1,550, the equivalent of distributing over 13,300 meals.

Every penny raised will support our mission to continue to save good food from going to waste and redistribute it to charities and community groups supporting individuals and families across the region.

On Sunday 17th May 2026, FareShare North East volunteers and staff took part in the Tees Heritage Walk, organised by Middlesbrough Erimus Rotary Club.

Our team completed the 11 mile route along the banks of the River Tees, stretching from Middlesbrough College to Stockton’s Millennium Bridge and back. The walk gave participants the opportunity to explore the region’s rich industrial heritage while supporting a FareShare North East.

Every mile walked supported our mission to rescue surplus food and get it to the community groups helping those who need it most.

Supporting Our Work

By taking part, our team has helped to raise vital funds that enable us to continue redistributing surplus food across Middlesbrough and the wider North East – turning potential waste into valuable support for local charities and community groups.

Fundraising Milestone

We are delighted to share that we are now over halfway to reaching fundraising target, with donations still coming in. Every contribution helps us rescue more good food.

If you would like to support our efforts, you can still donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fsneteeswalk2026

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