Our Projects

Monday afternoons, 4pm to 6pm in the cafe space.

Using co-operative principles that adhere more to ideas of mutual aid than philanthropy, this initiative combines elements from the pantry model with the concept of bulk buying to reduce packaging and cost. Our tiered pricing structure means that those who can pay a little more than cost price can enable those with a little less financial flexibility can still access organic wholefoods at a discount.

The Hornbeam and The HEET Project are collaborating to train up 10 local Energy Champions who will help their community save money, stay warm and healthy and fight climate change. Energy Champions will gain a qualification by the NEA to assess a household’s energy consumption and offer bespoke advice.

We are also offering training to community members who struggle with getting online and end up unnecessarily paying for more expensive tariffs.

A cross borough partnership bringing together Organiclea, Hornbeam and key food partners together with the council to develop a vision and strategy for a more resilient food system in Waltham Forest. Informed by the food growing and food redistribution network, the partnership is developing a strategy based on the ground level work of groups and projects who have identified the gaps, needs and places for solutions.

Our Tuesday People’s Kitchen is a day dedicated to volunteers which aims to bring people together, connecting with one another through cooking and sharing a FREE, healthy meal made from surplus food. We want this project to be as inclusive as possible – it is open to all! Come from 10am to chop & chat, lunch is served at 1pm.

We welcome friendly volunteers, drop an email to volunteering@hornbeam.org.uk

A Clarion Futures funded project to empower and up-skill upper Walthamstow residents in the art and technical skill of repairing and upcycling clothing and textiles, prolonging the life of clothing that might have been discarded and sharing knowledge about the waste, environmental impacts and poor labour practices of the fast fashion industry.

The courses at Priory Court have finished but we are fundraising to run regular workshops at The Hornbeam, join our mailing list to receive news of them starting up again!

The Food Redistribution Network is at the core of what we do at the Hornbeam. We receive regular surplus food from our suppliers such as the Felix Project, City Harvest and local food businesses (which would otherwise have been sent to landfill), sort it and then redistribute it to a network of Waltham Forest local projects across the week, often by bike!

Do you have a regular supply of food, or have time to volunteer in the yard?

Understanding the changing climate and figuring out how to respond both as an individual and in community can feel quite overwhelming.

We are hosting regular Climate Fresk session with a free hot meal as a way to help our community members grasp the scale of what we face, and be empowered to work towards building community resilience.

Hornbeam’s Good Deeds on Bikes scheme allows you to help out your local community whilst spending some time on your bike! This project includes both surplus food collection and local deliveries.

We love to hear from folk wanting to volunteer, is this you? We offer training for people who’d like to cycle the big electric cargo bike.

A food co-op is a membership-based and non-hierarchical collective within which the group decides on alternative ways of sourcing their food, bypassing supermarkets and instead utilising bulk buying and surplus food. At the Hornbeam we help mentor and supply two local food co-ops to promote a more sustainable and affordable way of engaging with our food system.

Working with people on a street level to find neighbourhood food solutions that help the planet and each other. Ideas range from potluck dinners, sharing oven space to reduce energy costs, bulk buying food together or growing veg in your front gardens to share out. Click here to see some of the ideas we’ve come up with!

A Warmer Spaces Initiative led and funded by Waltham Forest Council, the Community Living Rooms have been running over the winter periods since 2023. On Thursdays, the cafe space comes alive from 11-3pm with community, cosiness, creative activities and a free, delicious hot meal made from surplus food. There will often be a visiting local service such as Citizens Advice, Grief Cafe’s, Adult Learning Services and The HEET Projects’s energy savings advice sessions.

The Gleaners continue to coordinate this offering with funding from The Lotteries Awards For All.