Wendover Youth Forum receives cash boost for healthy eating initiative
Wendover Youth Forum has collected a cheque for £1,000 from The Clare Foundation and Buckinghamshire New University as part of a crowdfunding social enterprise campaign to pay for healthy fruit dishes.
The forum, comprising Wendover Centre, in Wharf Road, Wendover, and Aylesbury Youth for Christ, raised £1,230 in 35 days in ‘Fruity-Call’, a projectto pay for equipment and packaging to recycle unsold fruit from Budgens of Wendover, in High Street, Wendover, into nutritious, sweet alternative, dried fruit pieces.
The University, based in Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, and The Clare Foundation, a charitable organisation based in Saunderton, near Princes Risborough, matched the funding up to £1,000 to payfor afruit dehydrator, food handling training and packaging materials.
Becky Murgatroyd, Senior Youth Leader at Wendover Youth Centre, said: “This could be one of the most influential projects we have taken part in.
“We are working with Budgensto take fruit they can no longer sell and turn it in to fruity bites to sell at youth clubs, schools and possibly in store for them.
“As part of our campaign weproduced a video, set up our crowdfunding page, andalso received some large donations from local business and charities.”
Becky and Martha Barnes of Wendover Youth Forum were joined by Joel Hughes, who coordinatesBusiness Development and Partnerships for Crowdfunder.co.uk, to collect the cheque from Martin Thornton of The Clare Foundation and Professor Tim Middleton, Pro Vice-Chancellor – Research and Enterprise at Bucks New University.
Prof Middleton said: “We are pleased to support Wendover Youth Forum. Social enterprise is something that students are passionate about and learning about new ways of supporting enterprising activity through crowdfunding and other sources of finance are part of the entrepreneurialskill-set our courses help to develop.”
Mr Thornton helped Wendover Youth Centre run the crowdfunding campaign. He added: “We welcome any other organisations taking part. If you would like us to help you realise your crowdfunding dreams or just want to know how to take part in round two of the competition, as there are still nine cheques of £1,000 to be awarded, please email me at martin.thornton@theclarefoundation.org.”