Summer is drawing to a close, and for many households in our community the months ahead will bring another difficult choice between rising everyday costs.

As the weather gets colder, household bills increase. Heating and electricity cost more, children need warmer clothes, and already stretched budgets have to cover more. For people who are just about managing during the warmer months, even relatively small additional costs can mean there is simply less money left for food.

At Albrighton Community Fridge, we believe everyone should be able to put food on the table and have access to a healthy, balanced diet, regardless of their circumstances.

Our Community Fridge supports people from across our extraordinarily diverse local community. Some are experiencing a temporary financial crisis; others are living on very low incomes, pensions or benefits. We support families with children, older people, refugees and people who may simply have reached the end of the month and found that their money hasn't stretched quite far enough.

There is no judgement and no stigma. If you need food, you are welcome.

And as we head towards the colder months, we expect that support to be needed more than ever.

But we also want to grow something for the future

This autumn marks an exciting new chapter for Albrighton Community Fridge with the first planting of our Community Fruit Garden.

The idea is wonderfully simple: to create a garden where fruit is grown by the community, for the community, and where local people will eventually be able to enjoy a seasonal harvest grown right on their doorstep — completely free of charge.

Fresh fruit can be one of the more expensive parts of a healthy diet. When money is tight, it can understandably be one of the things families buy less of.

Our Community Fruit Garden won't solve food poverty, but it is one practical step we can take. It will provide free fresh fruit, help some households reduce their weekly food bill, encourage healthier eating, bring people together and make our local environment greener at the same time.

🌱 You can help us grow it — for just £12.99

Fruit may literally grow on trees, but unfortunately the money to plant them doesn't.

The first stage of the garden will see us planting these bushes:

Raspberry • Gooseberry • Loganberry • Blueberry

Each fruit bush costs £12.99.

So we're inviting our supporters to sponsor a fruit bush.

A donation of £12.99 today could provide fruit for local people not just once, but season after season for years to come.

If you'd like to sponsor one, simply donate £12.99 and, if JustGiving allows you to leave a message with your donation, tell us which you would like to sponsor: Raspberry, Gooseberry, Loganberry or Blueberry.

And this is only the beginning. Later stages will include fruit trees, hedging and other varieties suited to our changing British climate, including apples and pears.

Your donation can help today — and grow something for tomorrow

Not every donation needs to be £12.99. Whether you give £2, £5, £12.99 or more, every contribution helps Albrighton Community Fridge continue supporting local people.

Your donations can help us provide food to people who need it now while also investing in projects such as the Community Fruit Garden that can make our neighbourhood healthier, greener and more resilient in the future.

As summer gives way to autumn and then winter, we know that some of our neighbours will face increasingly difficult choices.

Together, we can make sure food doesn't have to be one of them.

And with your help, we can plant something this autumn that our whole community can enjoy for many years to come.

Please donate if you can — and help our community grow. 🌱🍎