Wessex region donates £3k to Oxford Food Hub

A leading housebuilder has donated £3,000 to the Oxford Food Hub as part of its Community Champions initiative.

Persimmon Homes Wessex presented the cheque to the charity’s chief executive, Emily Smith, at the Food Hub in Botley, where it is at the centre of surplus food redistribution in Oxfordshire, providing food to over 200 charities. In 2022, the organisation supplied over 497 tonnes of free produce to local charities and community groups.

The group’s mission is two-fold; to minimise food waste by saving surplus food from producers and retailers, reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment; and alleviating food poverty through providing free food to Oxfordshire charities and community groups.

Persimmon has a significant presence in the area and is currently developing at Wellington Gate near Wantage, a multi-phase site that will bring 2,500 new homes on the old airfield site in Grove. The business also recently secured planning approval for its first phase at Valley Park in Didcot. 

The donation comes from Persimmon Wessex’s Community Champions fund which supports good causes in the area where it builds with £24,000 each year. Other recipients include Sustainable Wantage and the Wantage Literary Festival. 

Commenting, Chief Executive of Oxford Food Hub, Emily Smith, said: 

“I am very grateful to Persimmon for their generous donation to the Oxford Food Hub. This money will help cover the running costs involved in collecting and distributing food donations and surplus across Oxfordshire.

“Our brilliant 87 volunteers do most of the work, but we have seen increasing energy costs to power and maintain our vans.

With more people impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, our food had never been in more demand. We are supporting 40 more charities compared to this time last year, so all donations will be put to very good use." 

Persimmon Homes Wessex’s Sales Director, Pauline Fletcher, said:

“We are very proud to support to such an important charity that helps people across Oxfordshire who have fallen on hard times.

“We have a long-standing presence across the County with our site at Grove and soon-to-be in Didcot, and as well as delivering homes for local people, we are also determined to give back to key local groups.

“Persimmon is a company that cares about the areas in which it develops, and the Food Hub is exactly the kind of good cause that our Community Champions scheme is designed to help.”