The First Hub — Merthyr Tydfil
Why we begin in Merthyr Tydfil.
Food anxiety in Merthyr Tydfil is exacerbated by rising food prices and the ongoing energy crisis. Understanding the local picture — and the organisations already responding — shapes everything the
hub is being built to do.
Location Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
Status Hub in development
Network 13 local organisations
01 The Situation
Over 50% of Lower Super Output Areas in Merthyr Tydfil are at ‘medium to high’ or ‘high’ risk of food insecurity.
The result is a widespread experience of rising food shopping costs, and anxiety around accessing and affording food.
The energy crisis compounds it — shaping food choices and limiting the availability of affordable, healthy options.
Already Responding
Building on the community’s existing assets.
Local food banks and food poverty strategies are already at work providing emergency food and support for those in crisis, and developing strategies to reduce food poverty and improve the
local food system.
Merthyr Cynon Foodbank
Emergency food and support for people in crisis.
Food Prosperity Network
Strategies to reduce food poverty and improve the local food system.
Community Food Pantry, Gellideg
A self-selecting pantry where members choose their own produce subsidised food with personal preference. Open two days a week, 47 weeks a year, with emergency food and toiletries for anyone in need.
The community’s task is to recognise these existing assets and work together to build resilience in a food system less vulnerable to external factors. That is the role of the Food Source UK hub: shared infrastructure, logistics and coordination for the organisations already at work.
Take Action Help us build Merthyr's hub.
Whether you’re an individual, a business, a charity or a public organisation, there’s a place for you in Food Source UK.