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Penarth Food Pod features on Newsnight
Penarth Food Pod features on Newsnight
20 April 2022
Penarth’s new Food Pod has received national attention after featuring on Thursday’s edition of Newsnight.
The BBC programme’s cameras visited the building in St Luke’s Avenue last week to gather footage of it being used and interview Mark Ellis and Mark Faulkner.
They are two members of the Housing Team who run the pod, which provides food and other products on a ‘pay as you can’ basis.
The content was used in a segment on the cost-of-living crisis, part of a series of items being produced ahead of the local elections next month.
Senior Neighbourhood Manager Farida Aslam said: “Both Mark Ellis and Mark Faulkner have worked really hard on this project, assisted by other colleagues from the Housing Management Team and a dedicated group of volunteers.
“It was fantastic that a programme as high profile as Newsnight visited the Food Pod to shine a light on those efforts to help people during difficult times.
“With energy bills rising, along with the price of fuel and groceries, many people are struggling to cope.
“We’ve seen a big increase in people using the Food Pod over the last few weeks. They tell us this support is vital as everything is getting so expensive.”
Opened in early March and operating out of a converted shipping container, the pod offers residents tinned and perishable goods, toiletries and hygiene products.
A previous Food Pod was established last August with help from STAR Residents Association and volunteers from the local area on an adjacent site before moving to its new location.
It is open on Mondays and Fridays between 2pm and 4pm and Wednesdays from 3.30pm until 5.30pm.
Anyone can use the pod and pay only what they are able for items.
The pod also helps tackle food waste and is part of the Housing Team’s Clean Slate Neighbourhood programme, a two-year scheme to make this area of Penarth cleaner, greener, healthier and better connected.
The episode of Newsnight is available to watch again via BBC iPlayer. The Food Pod features around 40:30 in.