SURPLUS fresh food from shops is being distributed seven days a week at the mosque at Lakeview Community Centre in Goldsworth Park.

Community activist Norman Johns has moved his “community fridge” to the building from its original location in Commercial Way, Woking town centre.

Food collected from around 10 supermarkets and other shops in the borough is available to anyone who needs it from 9am to 10am Monday to Sunday.

“We have donations of all sorts of fresh food, including vegetables, bread, cakes, milk and eggs to give out,” said Norman. “They are all items which would otherwise have been thrown away but can still be eaten. We are even being given flowers.

“I’m speaking to other shops and supermarkets to increase the stocks, and more are due to come on board.”

Norman has based the initiative on the Knaphill Community Fridge at Holy Trinity Church, Knaphill, where surplus food can be donated for members of the public to collect.

He has moved his refrigerators to the Lakeview centre in Tracious Close to store donations. Volunteers from the mosque – known as a masjid – are helping run the operation.

“Shah Jahan and the other mosques in Woking are being fantastic with their community work, particularly helping people with food supplies during the pandemic,” said Norman. “Their help is proving invaluable.”

He is also working with Foodwise, a charity that seeks to relieve financial hardship by teaching people how to prepare and cook nutritional food on a restricted budget, to set up another community fridge at Sheerwater Youth Club.

Norman’s project to serve evening meals to needy people, which started at the vacant shop Commercial Way, has been put on hold. He is hoping to restart the initiative soon, in larger premises in the town centre.