South Cotswolds Foodbank

17/06/2026

The end of the school year is just over a month away. For many families, however, the summer holidays aren’t a break from worry.

With children at home for six weeks, food bills rise significantly and the support of free school meals comes to an end. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the summer holidays can bring added financial pressure and difficult choices.

At South Cotswolds Foodbank, we expect demand for emergency food support to remain high throughout the summer, and we need your help to ensure our shelves stay stocked.

If you’re able to, please consider donating a few items during your next shop. Every tin, packet and toiletry helps us provide emergency food parcels to local people facing hardship. Our most needed items appear on our website.

You can donate at our collection points across the South Cotswolds, including participating supermarkets and community locations, or by dropping donations directly to us at the Foodbank (Mondays 2:00-3:30pm; Fridays 10:00-11:30am). Or contact us at [email protected]

Together, we can help ensure that no family in our community goes hungry this summer.

Thank you for your support.



Please check our website: https://southcotswolds.foodbank.org.uk/support-us/donate-food-old or contact us for details of your nearest donation point.

15/06/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who continues to support South Cotswolds Foodbank through your generous donations. 💚

Together, we're helping people facing food poverty and financial hardship across our community.

As a reminder, we recently changed our name from Cirencester Foodbank to South Cotswolds Foodbank to better reflect the area we serve. Today, communities across more than 210 square miles of the South Cotswolds rely on our services.

If you are making a donation by cheque, please ensure it is made payable to South Cotswolds Foodbank and not Cirencester Foodbank.

Prefer to donate online? Visit our website for details on how to make a secure online donation.

Thank you for helping us make a difference.

12/06/2026

🥕 Meet James, one of the fantastic team at The Organic Farm Shop, Abbey Home Farm

James and his colleagues provide South Cotswolds Foodbank with generous boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables, helping us offer healthy, nutritious food to people and families facing hardship across our community.

A huge thank you to everyone at Cirencester Organic Farm Shop for your ongoing support. Your kindness is making a real difference to local people during some of their most difficult moments.

10/06/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who regularly donates food and other essential items to South Cotswolds Foodbank. Your support makes a real difference to local people facing hardship.

Did you know you can now see exactly what items are needed in real time? Simply download the free BanktheFood app and stay up to date with our most urgent needs.

Please download the app and check what is needed next time you go shopping.
https://www.bankthefood.com/download-the-app

Thank you for your continued generosity. 💚

08/06/2026

It was great to be part of this new initiative, which took part on Saturday at Cirencester Baptist Church, bringing together community groups and projects from across this very special part of the world.

It was inspiring to be in a room full of people who care deeply about where they live and who are all passionate about making a difference and strengthening community life. There was a real sense of collaboration and shared purpose.

A fantastic opportunity to make new connections, share ideas and learn from one another. Thank you Roz Savage MP for bringing us all together 💚

05/06/2026

A huge thank you to Leigh and the team at Co-operative Food Lechlade for their very generous donation of food and essential items to South Cotswolds Foodbank💚

We’re also delighted that they have agreed to become a collection point for food donations, making it even easier for local people to support those facing hardship across our community.

If you’re shopping at the Co-operative in Lechlade, please consider picking up an extra item or two and placing them in the donation point. Every donation helps us provide emergency food parcels and practical support to individuals and families who are struggling across Lechlade and the South Cotswolds.

Together, we can help ensure nobody in our community goes hungry.

03/06/2026

Meet Peter, our brilliant van driver at South Cotswolds Foodbank. 🚐💚

Across our rural communities, many people face barriers to accessing support, including mobility issues, no personal transport, and limited or expensive public transport options. That’s where Peter steps in.

Covering an area of more than 210 square miles, Peter delivers food parcels to individuals and families across the South Cotswolds, helping to make sure that support reaches those who need it most.

Having been part of our team for five years, Peter is a familiar face and an invaluable member of South Cotswolds Foodbank. His dedication and commitment help make a real difference to local people facing hardship every day.

Thank you Peter for all that you do. 💚

01/06/2026

As we celebrate , we want to say a huge THANK YOU to our incredible team of 91 volunteers who make the work of South Cotswolds Foodbank possible.

Thank you to the drivers who collect food donations from supermarkets, churches and schools; the warehouse volunteers who sort, pick and pack emergency food parcels; those who welcome clients at our centres in Cirencester and Tetbury; our telephone teams; the invaluable signposting volunteers, who help people facing hardship access the right support and build resilience for the future; those who raise vital funds and awareness through community events; everyone who supports our behind-the-scenes operations; and our trustees, whose leadership and expertise help shape the charity’s strategic direction and ensure we can continue supporting local people in need.

Together, our volunteers help us tackle hunger and poverty across more than 210 square miles of the South Cotswolds. Their dedication, compassion and commitment are at the heart of everything we do.

We simply couldn’t do it without you.

📣 THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU 🙏💚

18/05/2026

Evidence from our 2024 South Cotswold Food Report highlighted the challenges of accessing low cost food and other essential in our rural Cotswolds community.

This combined with lack of affordable transport (both in learning to drive and owning and running a vehicle) and irregular public transport links increased risks for those on the lowest incomes, and pushed them further into food insecurity.

Today, the Guardian newspaper has released an article highlighting these findings, and those of Dr Mega Blake on the impact of Food Deserts across our community.
You can read the article, with comments from the head of our Foodbank here ->

Deep-rooted problems of food inequality are hidden behind area’s affluence and beauty

18/05/2026

Two Guardian articles published today highlight the growing challenge of accessing affordable, healthy food in rural communities like ours.

Communities in the Cotswolds often face a rural premium for purchasing the essentials which impacts everyone, but it leaves those on the lowest incomes facing an uphill battle to make ends meet and needing to rely on our Foodbank.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/18/cotswolds-rural-healthy-food-deserts-supermarket-shop-access

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/18/rural-britain-healthy-affordable-food-desert-lower-income-families-study

Closure of local shops and poor public transport leaves households struggling to access healthy and affordable food