SHARE Wokingham

16/10/2026

Another week over for most of the Share teams (except the Great Hollands team who are out collecting tonight!)

We hope those to at visit over the following week are able to take yet another delicious recipe courtesy of the team from Hamlet Wokingham and enjoy dinner using the Share ingredients!

This week we have also included air fryer details!

Method 1 — Air Fryer
Temperature: 190°C | Approx. 20–30 minutes
Preheat the air fryer to 190°C for 3 minutes.
Prepare the chicken. Pat dry, then coat with half the oil, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken. Place in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook boneless thighs for approximately 16–22 minutes or bone-in thighs for 22–30 minutes, turning halfway through.
Add the broccoli. Toss the florets with the remaining oil and a little seasoning. Add to the basket for the final 8–10 minutes of cooking. If there isn't enough room, cook the broccoli separately.
Add the garlic. Mix the chopped garlic through the broccoli for the final 2–3 minutes, taking care not to burn it.
Check and serve. Ensure the thickest part of the chicken reaches 75°C, then serve with the roasted broccoli.
Tip: For crispier broccoli, avoid overcrowding the basket. Cooking times vary depending on the size of the chicken thighs and your air fryer.

16/10/2026

Life can be busy, life can be distracting and sometimes a little overwhelming, sometimes we need another focus. This realisation came to the Share team recently when we recognised that there are times when people need to take a bit of time out, perhaps do a task that gets them outside and makes them think about other things….the answer? An allotment!!

We are very grateful to Wokingham Town Council for their support in securing an allotment for us.

We are definitely not at the Gardener’s World stage, it’s overgrown, full of weeds and needs a LOT of TLC before we can grow anything.

But it got us thinking…

Isn’t life a bit like that?

We don’t deliberately fill our lives with weeds, but gradually worries, disappointments, resentment and fears creep in. Before we know it, the good things struggle to grow.

In the Bible, Jesus tells the story of seeds falling amongst thorns, where life’s worries choke their growth (Luke 8:14).

But here’s the wonderful thing.

God doesn’t look at our messy lives and see a hopeless patch of weeds. He sees potential.

And that’s something we try to remember at SHARE.

Every person walking through our doors has a story. Some carry burdens we know nothing about. Our job isn’t to judge their garden but to help plant seeds of kindness, hope and faith.

As 1 Corinthians 3:6 reminds us:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”

We may never see the difference our small acts of kindness make, but that doesn’t mean nothing is growing.

Sometimes the greatest harvest isn’t what grows in the ground, but what grows in people’s hearts.

And hopefully we’ll get a few carrots too!

09/10/2026

We are very much a community based project and always like to look at new ways we can develop relationships and create stronger links within the community. Recently one of the team had the chance to enjoy a great meal Hamlet Wokingham and met the lovely Rob! They explained what Share was all about and asked if he would be interested in supporting with some recipe ideas based on whatever we have in plentiful supply this week - so here is week 1 of our latest collaboration!

Tomato, onion and mushroom casserole…let us know how you get on making it!

04/10/2026

Keys handed into Norreys Churcb, please get in touch if you have lost them in the area around Norreys.

We have had a set of keys handed into the church this morning. Please get in touch if you have lost them and we can re-unite!

Key ring description required for retrieval!

25/09/2026

We’re not very good at blowing our own trumpet…

We don’t flood your newsfeed with everything we do. We’re not a commissioned service, and we’re not an organisation with lots of paid staff or big budgets behind us.

We are simply a community project, with people at its heart — and God at the heart of everything we do.

Yes, SHARE started because we wanted to stop perfectly good food going to waste. And six years later, that remains a huge part of what we do.

But somewhere along the way, something else happened.

People walked through our doors as strangers and became friends.

Conversations started over bags of vegetables and loaves of bread. Problems were shared. People found someone willing to listen. Volunteers became family. Communities grew.

And week after week, we realised that SHARE had become about so much more than food.

It’s about connection.
It’s about belonging.
It’s about creating a safe space where there is no judgement.
It’s about noticing the person who might otherwise feel invisible.
It’s about making sure everyone who walks through our doors knows that they are seen, they matter and they are loved.

We can tell you about SHARE. We can give you the numbers and explain how much food we save.

But until you come through the doors of one of our locations, it’s difficult to explain what really happens there.

🥕 Yes, we rescue food.
♻️ Yes, we hate waste.
🤝 But most importantly, we build community.

Because sometimes the most valuable thing someone takes home from SHARE isn’t in their shopping bag at all.

Caring More. Wasting Less.

22/09/2026

This really was a special Sunday as 2 people were baptised at Norreys. Both of them had connections with Share. What a privilege!

What a special Sunday!

This weekend we celebrated two adult full-immersion baptisms — our first in 15 years! What a joy to witness two people publicly declaring their faith and taking this significant step in their journey with Jesus.

But what is baptism actually about?

The water isn’t magical. There is nothing special about the water itself — it’s ordinary water.

Baptism is about what the water represents.

Going down into the water symbolises leaving behind the old life, and being raised up represents new life in Christ. It is a visible, outward expression of an inward decision: “I have chosen to follow Jesus.”

It doesn’t mean that life suddenly becomes easy, or that we will never make mistakes again. It means choosing to walk with Jesus — trusting Him, learning from Him and allowing Him to shape the person we are becoming.

For these two adults, baptism was their opportunity to say publicly what they have already chosen privately: Jesus is part of my life, and I want to follow Him.

After 15 years without an adult full-immersion baptism, seeing those waters used again was incredibly special.

So, as we celebrate with them, perhaps it’s also worth asking ourselves:

What does following Jesus mean to me? And what might my next step of faith be?

“Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
— Romans 6:4

The water isn’t magical. The message is.
And what a message of hope it is.

15/09/2026

We have kept this fairly quiet as we weren’t sure if we would make it to the formal nomination point but we can now share that along side 12 other well deserving charities Share has been nominated for the King’s Award for voluntary service.

Share is 100% volunteers so all the hard work at all times of day and night (and weather) is done by people passionate about the project who are prepared to give up their own time every week to support their community. To have grown over the last 6 years from just being at Norreys to supporting around 2000 people each week over the 15 locations has been an unexpected but incredible journey and testament of the hard work of the team. If we do make it to the final stage it would be lovely for the team to receive the recognition they truly deserve.

Thank you to Bracknell Forest Council for nominating us and The Berkshire Lieutenancy for hosting.

We will find out in November if we have been successful.

14/09/2026

Join us at 7pm on 4th October to hear stories from across the network of amazing things God is doing and gain a fresh vision for the future. Brookside Church, Brookside Close, Lower Earley RG6 7HG. We look forward to seeing you!

14/09/2026

SHARE Shinfield is open tomorrow Monday 14th September at 11:45am until 1pm.

We have Wokingham Borough joining us, who will be happy to discuss local services, local charity support, volunteering opportunities and educational services

Please bring a bag for your food and we ask for a £1 donation to help cover our overheads.