A fire service funded waste food project has won a national industry award for sustainability.

The Doncaster based Real Junk Food project campaigns to end food waste and runs a ‘pay as you feel’ cafe catering for people who use food banks and struggle with the cost of food.

The Real Junk Food Project is run entirely by volunteers and was voted as the community winner at the Footprint Awards ceremony held in London recently. The award recognises the catering and hospitality businesses that contribute to a reduction in the environmental impact of the industry and in turn making it a more sustainable in environmental, economic and social terms.

Fire safety officers hold regular drop in sessions at the Project, giving face-to-face safety and fire prevention advice to service users and their families.

The project was awarded just over £8,000 under South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority’s funding scheme, the Stronger Safer Communities Reserve.

The fund saw dozens of registered charities, community organisations and partner agencies come forward and apply for grants from the £2 million fund, which had been set aside from the Authority’s reserves.

Head of Prevention & Protection Steve Helps said, “House fires have reduced massively in the last decade, but sadly the people most likely to suffer a fire are also often the hardest to reach with fire safety information. That’s why it’s important that we work closely with partners, like The Real Junk Food Project, so that we can continue to reduce death and injuries in accidental house fires.”