When we launched The Village Pantry on 15 April 2026, we made a deliberate choice not to charge people for surplus food. Instead, we placed a donation point in the Pantry and invited people to contribute if they wished and were able to do so. Five months on, the figures are giving us real confidence in that approach. Since opening, we have received 410 individual donations totalling £1,182. What is particularly encouraging is that these aren't predominantly large donations: t

This week, something rather special arrived at the Vital Village Community Hub: our very first delivery from The Country Food Trust, bringing pheasant curry and partridge curry to our Village Pantry shelves. It might sound like a small thing - a few boxes of curry arriving at a community hub in Thames Ditton. But for us, it marks an important step in how we think about feeding our community. Why This Partnership Matters Since opening the Village Pantry, we've been on a missio

Over the past year, Vital Village has continued to grow into a busy, welcoming community hub shaped by the people who use it. Today, we’re pleased to share our Community Impact Report 2024–25 , which reflects on our first full year of activity and, importantly, what you’ve told us matters most as we move forward. In just twelve months, a once underused building has become a space used daily by residents of all ages. Over the year, we recorded more than 75,000 visits , with ar