The road-up covers the number of experience and data that make our capital nice – from politics and media, the humanities, music, meals, to science and drugs.
The charity gave out the equal of 32 million meals to individuals throughout each London borough.
Over the subsequent few months, we’ll be showcasing extra individuals from the record, so ensure you control our feed.
You’ll find The Customary on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you stream.
Right here’s a completely automated transcript of this episode:
From London, I am Rachelle Abbott, and that is The Customary.
The London Customary is unveiling The Customary 100, an inventory of the highest 100 women and men shaping the capital in 2024.
The extraordinary lineup covers a variety of classes and sectors that make our capital nice, from politics and media, the humanities, music, meals, to science and drugs.
To search out out extra, here is The London Customary’s editor-in-chief, Dylan Jones.
Our capital is clearly the best metropolis on the planet, and we have now such a wealth of artistic expertise in London.
And periodically, we prefer to have a good time that, which is what we have executed this week by selecting 100 individuals who the collective minds of The Customary assume are shaping our metropolis.
And that is individuals concerned in music and style, tradition and leisure, politics, science, transport, artwork, and atmosphere, eating places, all kinds of people who find themselves typically contributing to the success and the cultural IP and the expansion of our metropolis.
London is so nice as a result of I feel there’s something regenerative in regards to the metropolis.
Technology after technology of extremely proficient individuals appear to return to London and are born by London.
And despite the fact that London could be a very difficult place to develop up in and even to maneuver to, it frequently surprises itself, I feel, with this, as I say, this fixed regeneration of younger terribly proficient individuals.
And this record is a mirrored image of a few of these younger individuals in addition to some individuals who have been extra established and who contribute to the IP and the overall artistic welfare of our metropolis.
And you may see this record in in the present day’s paper, The London Customary, so please decide one up.
Over the subsequent few months, we’ll be showcasing these on the record.
Immediately, we’re kicking off with Charlotte Hill, Chief Government of Meals Redistribution Charity, The Felix Venture, which final yr gave out the equal of 32 million meals to individuals throughout each London borough.
Welcome to the podcast, Charlotte.
Thanks a lot for having me.
No, it is a pleasure to have you ever.
For any listeners that do not know, what’s the story behind The Felix Venture?
What do you do and the way do you use?
So I’ve the good privilege of being the Chief Government of The Felix Venture.
We rescue surplus meals that may in any other case go to waste.
We type it in our warehouses or we prepare dinner it in Felix’s kitchen, after which we distribute it to over 1,200 charities daily, proper throughout the yr, 364 days a yr.
And we try this with the assistance of 15,000 superb volunteers.
And we’re on observe to do about 37 million meals this yr, to present you a way of the dimensions.
And the explanation why we’re known as The Felix Venture is as a result of there was a superb younger man known as Felix, who was enthusiastic about each meals waste and meals insecurity.
He had performed soccer in opposition to boys who had not eaten breakfast.
And he thought this was completely horrible, that there have been boys of his age who hadn’t eaten.
And so he was a passionate campaigner about this work.
Now, very tragically, and abruptly, he died at age 14.
And his dad and mom, after his loss of life, thought relatively than do one thing round meningitis, which is what he died of, they thought what can be impacts that Felix would wish to have on the planet had he lived.
And they also arrange The Felix Venture, which is that this magical group that genuinely provides hope to hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Londoners each week who’re in any other case struggling to place meals on the desk, in addition to having a very important environmental impression.
And the way lengthy did it take from creating the concept to when it kicked off?
So we’re eight years outdated as a company now.
So we have been a very younger charity nonetheless, and we have now scaled extremely shortly, nevertheless it began off simply as a really small sort of storage in West London, the place we have been doing actually small volumes.
And has scaled now, we have 4 completely different warehouses that do meals throughout London in North, South, East and West London.
We now have one thing known as Felix’s Multibank out West the place we rescue different surplus objects like toiletries and bedding and hygiene merchandise that we give to communities who’re struggling.
we have now Felix’s Kitchen the place we prepare dinner about 5,000 meals a day.
Are you doing any work with the federal government?
We’re working with the federal government.
I imply, we work with native authorities on a regular basis.
We work with Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, who’s been a tremendous supporter of our work, each throughout the sort of vacation starvation programmes we’re doing.
However truly, we’re in the meanwhile asking the nationwide authorities to essentially assist us entry extra surplus meals.
There may be a lot meals wasted on the farm gate significantly that we may very well be accessing.
However equally, there’s a lot of completely different legislative or regulatory issues the federal government may try this imply we may entry much more meals.
So there’s quite a bit we’re asking Rachel Reeves to do that week, but in addition truly throughout authorities round how we will most assist individuals with getting that meals out of the meals system to individuals in want.
Inform us about your background.
What led you to work at The Felix Venture?
That is my third charity chief govt job.
I used to be a charity chief govt of two different organizations working with younger individuals previous to the pandemic.
After which through the pandemic, I noticed how many individuals have been struggling.
And this trigger simply actually spoke to me as one thing that was actually necessary.
And so I utilized to hitch The Felix Venture about three years in the past now.
And can’t inform you what a joyful job it’s.
I feel you may think about that generally whenever you’re coping with people who find themselves actually struggling to eat, it may really feel prefer it’s a very hopeless and a troublesome time.
And it by no means appears like that at Felix.
Felix is a spot the place individuals come of their hundreds to volunteer as a result of it’s an empowering, joyful, can-do place the place a neighborhood of individuals come collectively to say, We do not need this meals to go to waste.
We would like it to go to individuals who really want it.
Truly, it is essentially the most energizing, superior place to work.
It appears like actually such a present of a job to get to do.
And what drives you in your function as Chief Exec?
Effectively, quite a few issues.
I suppose the very first thing is the impression we have now.
You would need to have a coronary heart of stone to not really feel actually happy with the truth that one, this meals can be going to waste if it wasn’t from this group, which is in itself an environmental scandal.
However secondly, to see the impression the meals has, , I am a mum of two, I can not think about the stress of not with the ability to put meals on the desk for them.
So I feel one of many issues that drives me is, it is sensible to see the impression that this meals has.
However the different factor is that neighborhood of individuals I described earlier, it’s so motivating to be surrounded by such sensible, spectacular, dedicated, devoted colleagues, colleagues and volunteers who all come collectively, in addition to that wider neighborhood of meals provide companions, the neighborhood organizations and funders and volunteers.
It is simply, it is a tremendous place to work.
So I am motivated by the impacts, however I am extremely motivated by the individuals as properly.
What’s essentially the most difficult a part of your job?
Probably the most troublesome half is the truth that we assist 1,200 neighborhood organizations, however we have now about 750 on our ready record.
In order that’s 750 home violence shelters or homeless shelters or meals banks who’re all asking for our meals and who we won’t but present to.
And except we get three issues, a rise in funding, a rise in meals and a rise in volunteers, we simply will not be capable to attain them.
I prefer to be scared and a bit challenged daily by doing one thing outdoors my consolation zone.
And I feel that is the way you develop.
And failure and all of these issues is how we get higher.
We’ll see you again right here in only a minute.
So, how does it really feel to be on The Customary’s 100 record?
I feel it is a large testomony to The Felix Venture, truly, and the place it has now, as we wish to be certainly one of London’s best-loved charities.
And it actually appears like that.
This is a corporation by Londoners for Londoners.
As I stated, hundreds of Londoners come and provides their time to Felix yearly.
And that is as a result of it is a tremendous place.
So clearly, it is a large privilege to be named.
However truly, that is about The Felix Venture.
That is about the truth that this group is now a very necessary a part of the infrastructure of London.
I soar away from bed each morning massively motivated by my job.
And naturally, it is pretty for a tremendous establishment like The Night Customary, who’ve been an unimaginable companion to The Felix Venture for a lot of, a few years.
Numerous our volunteers I converse to, after I say, how did you discover out about The Felix Venture?
They typically say, I examine it in The Customary.
So I all the time really feel like we have this lovely sort of partnership with The Customary, the place you have actually helped us develop and have impacts.
So there’s something pretty about The Customary, recognising the work of The Felix Venture and all that we do.
And it is after all motivating for us all to have that work recognised.
So a large thanks to The Customary.
It is actually humbling and wonderful that you’ve been with us on this journey.
Again to you and your profession.
Have you ever confronted any challenges that you just really feel have helped you in the long term?
I all the time say to my group that I would love to do one thing daily that provides me a sweaty palm second.
I prefer to be scared and a bit challenged daily by doing one thing outdoors my consolation zone.
And I feel that is the way you develop.
And failure and all of these issues is how we get higher.
I all the time try to say to my youngsters in addition to my colleagues, like, do not be afraid of failure.
And when you’re not failing, it means you are not making an attempt.
It means you are not making an attempt new issues.
It means you are not innovating.
And goodness, I’ve learnt essentially the most from failure.
And in all types of various roles, the place issues have not gone fairly how I wished it to, my colleague and I discuss full profit.
How do you get the complete profit out of any scenario you are in?
And even when it has been a very, actually garbage day, on the finish of the day, when you can sort of look within the mirror and say, have I bought the complete profit out of today, which suggests have I taken each ounce of the educational out of the day?
Then I feel that is a great day, even when it has been a troublesome day.
Now, you meet lots of people in your line of labor.
Are there any examples that stick out in your thoughts of among the individuals that you have helped by means of the years?
I all the time assume that we sort of should not body it that it is about how The Felix Venture has helped individuals as a result of we’re genuinely a partnership.
So all of these neighborhood organizations, and I will offer you a few examples that we distribute meals to, with out them, then it is simply meals.
However what these neighborhood organizations do is that they use that surplus meals for superb social good.
So if, for instance, we’ll a trustful belief meals financial institution, the place we’re taking meals to them, however alongside the meals, they’re providing residents recommendation bureau recommendation to assist individuals out of poverty, or they’re providing employability expertise, or there is a well being employee there ensuring vaccines are being distributed, or individuals are having their blood strain checked.
You already know, alongside getting meals, which is after all an important factor, they’re getting the entire remainder of these issues which are serving to them step out of that cycle of poverty, or no matter it’s that is led them to being there.
So, I do not assume we must always give it some thought as being a method that we’re serving to individuals.
I feel it is a method that we’re partnering with superb grassroots neighborhood organizations to do unimaginable social impacts.
And one which involves thoughts is that this superb chap known as Father Neil, who’s a vicar in East London, in Tower Hamlets, very near our depot in Tower Hamlets.
And I speak to Father Neil most weeks.
He comes into the depot, or we simply take meals out to him.
And he all the time describes the impression that that meals has for, I feel it is about 200 households each week.
And he describes Thursday as the brand new Sunday at his church, as a result of Thursday is the day they offer out the Felix meals.
However it’s additionally one of the vital impactful issues that he and his neighborhood have executed.
They have been working with The Felix Venture for a few years now.
And truly, the tales that he comes and tells me each week in regards to the impression that the meals and the multibank merchandise are having for his parishioners.
What are your plans for the long run with The Felix Venture?
Are you going to department out nationwide?
We’re actually targeted on London.
We all know that London completely wants us.
As I simply described, we nonetheless have an enormous variety of neighborhood organizations we’re not reaching but.
And a lot of the neighborhood organizations we distribute meals to are asking us for extra.
So we’re going to redouble our efforts.
We’re very a lot targeted on how we will work with the federal government to try to entry extra surplus meals in a way more systemic method.
We work hand in glove with the retailers and producers.
However as I stated, there’s a lot of various things we may do with authorities that may actually make an enormous step change in how we entry surplus meals.
So an enormous push for us is pulling a few of these levers that we will pull working in authorities with a lot of our different companions within the meals redistribution sector to essentially drive correct embedded systemic change round how we entry meals on this nation.
And we’re opening a very thrilling processing unit in South London at the start of subsequent yr the place we’ll be turning massive seasonal gluts of surplus meals into issues like soups and sauces and all types of various issues, dehydrating issues, turning them into pesto and issues.
So we’re all the time innovating, we’re all the time making an attempt new issues, however that is going to be opening within the new yr as an thrilling new enterprise for The Felix Venture.
Can I simply ask another query truly about you?
While you have been rising up, have been there any traits you had that tie into now, or is your profession one thing you would not have imagined?
So I all the time credit score an enormous quantity of my drive to have social impression to my mum.
So I grew up in a single dad or mum family with a mum who did not have a lot and he or she labored so extremely arduous to be sure that me and my sister had selections.
She all the time grew up probably not having selections herself as a result of she grew up in actually powerful occasions.
And he or she all the time stated to us that if I do nothing else, I wish to ensure you women have selections and choices.
However alongside doing that, she additionally volunteered domestically and he or she would take us alongside.
Ever since I used to be a child, like I keep in mind going together with my mum when she was volunteering.
She did not have any selection however to take us along with her.
So I sort of grew up with the concept of service, that service was what you probably did, that being a part of a neighborhood and caring about that neighborhood and being a part of it.
Even when you did not have very a lot your self, you could possibly all the time give your time.
And so I feel due to the function mannequin I had in my mum, who’s simply a tremendous and decided girl.
Yeah, I all the time really feel actually fortunate that even when we grew up with what would not historically have been thought that we had a lot, truly we had quite a bit, we had quite a bit as a result of I had an awesome function mannequin who instructed me that serving to different individuals is definitely the key to happiness.
And it is fully true.
To view the complete record, head to straightforward.co.uk or decide up this week’s paper.
This podcast is again tomorrow at 4pm.
