BORDERS MP John Lamont, and South Scotland MSP Craig Hoy have praised the team at Earlston Community Larder after meeting with volunteers from the service at Earlston Parish Church Hall.

The two politicians have encouraged those living in the town to donate any food that would otherwise go to landfill to the larder as well as donating any surplus home-grown fruit and vegetables, and participate in seed and seedling swaps.

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The service is open to everyone with no referral required. It is run by a group of volunteers and is creating opportunities for volunteers to learn new skills, make new friends and save money on their bills.

Mr Lamont said: “I am very grateful to the Earlston Community Larder and all its volunteers for the work they do to support local people and reduce food waste.

"Please give what you can so that this vital service can continue to benefit the local community.”

Mr Hoy said: “Thousands of people in communities right across the Scottish Borders have made use of vital services such as the Earlston Community Larder.

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“It is important to remember that regardless of income level, anyone may need to make use of these services.

“The Earlston Community Larder has been instrumental to many local people and I would like to thank their hard-working volunteers for supporting local people in Earlston and those who have donated to the service to ensure that food does not go to waste.”

Margaret Powell, Chair of Earlston Community Development Trust, said: “It was great to have the opportunity to show both John and Craig our Community Larder set up and meet some of our volunteers.

“We really appreciated them taking the time out of their day to visit.

“The larder funded by the Lottery Community Fund has been going for over a year now and we are blown away with the support we have received from volunteers, local businesses and individuals, it is great to see the community coming together to help each other and reduce food waste.”

The larder is operated by the Earlston Community Development Trust which is a voluntary organisation which supports the development of facilities that can be owned and managed by the people of Earlston for the benefit of the whole community.

The Larder is open Wednesdays from 10:30am-12pm at Earlston Parish Church and the second Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm.