Category

• Fully Validated Effective Local Practice

---

Poverty impact

• Mitigation
• Awareness

---

Poverty driver

• Reduce cost of living
• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

---

Keywords

• Stigma.
• Food waste.
• Food poverty.
• Community engagement.
• Education.

Aim

‘Blether’ aims to offer a community hub to aid community members in accessing nature friendly, ethically sourced food. It also aims to reduce food waste.

Summary

‘Blether’ is a free-to-access community shop based in Neilston, which aims to tackle food waste and poverty. By redistributing surplus food that otherwise would have gone to landfill, the project helps residents access nutritious, affordable food. The shop provides affordable, ethically sourced products such as plastic-free goods, fairtrade items, and locally grown produce from the edible Neilston planter. Additionally, ‘Blether’ helps to tackle local poverty by offering workshops aimed at helping individuals build key practical skills. They offer climate- friendly cooking courses and compost creation workshops all whilst promoting sustainable living. With over 6,600 users in 2025, Blether is a vital community resource.

What difference does it make?

• The project has significantly reduced food waste in the local area and has helped changed community perceptions on surplus food.
• The project has helped to reduce existing stigma towards foodbanks and food bank users.
• The project has actively targeted poverty by increasing access to free, good quality food.

Key take-aways

• The importance of dignity when addressing food poverty. The project was intentionally designed to operate like a shop so that people accessing free food could do so discreetly. In the long term this has helped to reduce existing stigma surrounding food aid.

 

Organisations

Propagate Scotland.

Location

Neilston (East Renfrewshire).

September, 2023

Contact