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On the day Michael Climer died in 2017, he made his wife, Judith, promise him that she would get back out into the community and ‘make a difference’.

Since then, Judith has set up the Michael Climer Legacy Fund which has provided food, supplies, and advice to hundreds of people from across Caerphilly County Borough.

After initially struggling to adjust to life without her husband, Judith told Caerphilly Observer how the project has given her new meaning: “Michael left a sum of money for me to help out the community in any way I could.

“It began in 2019 when I delivered food parcels once a week to local people. Then 2020 hit and I quickly realised that it wasn’t going to be enough.

“There was a time where I considered stopping but I remembered the promise I made so kept going. It was also incredibly rewarding.”

As a regular church goer with her late husband, Judith reached out to Holy Trinity Church in Ystrad Mynach, which agreed to host the food co-op.

“It was important to me that we set up a food co-op and not a food bank”, Judith said. “I didn’t want people to be ‘referred’ to us and feel embarrassed when everyone had been struggling”, she added.

When the food co-op first opened its doors in November 2021, around 30 people were being helped by it – but itss most recent event saw 120 people show up, with queues ‘out of the car park’.

The food co-op is open to everybody on Tuesday mornings between 9.30am and 11.30am.

People can show up to the church, where they pay £3 and receive two bags of food and toiletries worth around £35.

The charity pays £260 a month to FareShare – a charity which helps reduce food waste – and gets 175kg of food in return from local supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

More than just somewhere to collect food however, Judith is particularly proud of the support network available through the charity. She said: “You don’t realise how many people sit at home in isolation, worrying about their problems but not talking to anyone.

“Through offering tea and coffee at the church on Tuesday mornings we’ve had the chance to work with the Caerphilly Cares team to provide financial and emotional support to dozens of people.”

Hefin David, Labour Senedd Member for Caerphilly, visited the project in the summer. He said: “I was so impressed by the level of support Judith and the volunteers are providing for the local communities – people were queuing out the door when I arrived.

“It’s a wonderful hub for the community and the care and commitment from all the volunteers is clear to see.”

Having recently received National Lottery Funding for the project, Judith has big plans heading into the new year. She explained: “We’re looking to open up the church, as well as the community centre in Hengoed, more often as a warm hub.

“The money will obviously also go towards food and fuel costs but I’m really keen to get disadvantaged children involved too.

“I’ve been on my soapbox in local primary schools talking about food waste and we’ve even had children come to the church and help out.”

Reducing food waste is very important to Judith, who plans on spending a portion of the money on gardening equipment so people who use the food co-op can grow their own food.

Now in her 70s, Judith was quick to say that her passion for helping others is “stronger than ever”, adding the importance of “being out there and engaging with people”.

She continued: “I’m a better person after learning about all the wonderful people I’ve met. Everyone is just trying to do their best and it’s not easy at the moment.

“We need to continue getting the word out and asking for more funding. We’ll do the rest, but we need the money to help people.”

Although the charity has more than 20 volunteers, Judith is always looking for new recruits, especially younger people as it can be challenging physically.

On the year so far and what 2023 could look like, Judith said: “We expect things to get worse. Although it has been a rewarding journey we are preparing for what is to come.

“The community has been great to us however and we’re excited to see what the future holds.”

The food co-op will be closed on Tuesday December 27 but service will resume from January as normal.

For more information or to get involved, visit the charity’s Facebook page or contact Judith directly on climer@live.com or 07471 500 865.