Refuse CIC

REfUSE Café in Chester-le-Street is a vibrant, community-powered café with a mission to tackle food waste and bring people together. We intercept perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste — from supermarkets, wholesalers, and local suppliers — and transform it into delicious meals served on a “pay-as-you-feel” basis. This means everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can enjoy good food, good company, and a welcoming space where everyone belongs. The café isn’t just about saving food; it’s about valuing people, creating connection, and showing that small actions can make a big difference.

Beyond the café doors, REfUSE is a thriving hub of community activity. We run workshops, events, and training opportunities that build skills, confidence, and wellbeing — from our Eat Smart sessions helping schools reduce food waste to volunteer training and our popular Restaurant Nights. Volunteers, staff, and customers all work side by side to create a place filled with purpose, laughter, and hope. At REfUSE, food becomes a tool for change — transforming waste into wonder, and strangers into friends.

Active opportunities

Front of House Volunteer

Chester le Street  
View this opportunity

Kitchen Volunteer

Chester le Street  
View this opportunity

Eat Smart Volunteers

Chester le Street  
View this opportunity

Restaurant Night Volunteers

Chester le Street  
View this opportunity

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          name:  'Refuse  CIC',
          email:  'leerefuse@gmail.com/paigerefuse@gmail.com',
          type:  'Community  Interest  Company',
          telephone:  '07561765264',
          contactPerson:  'Lee  Bailey/Paige  Walmsley',
          website:  'www.refusedurham.org.uk',
          description:
            'REfUSE  Café  in  Chester-le-Street  is  a  vibrant,  community-powered  café  with  a  mission  to  tackle  food  waste  and  bring  people  together.  We  intercept  perfectly  good  food  that  would  otherwise  go  to  waste  —  from  supermarkets,  wholesalers,  and  local  suppliers  —  and  transform  it  into  delicious  meals  served  on  a  “pay-as-you-feel”  basis.  This  means  everyone,  regardless  of  their  circumstances,  can  enjoy  good  food,  good  company,  and  a  welcoming  space  where  everyone  belongs.  The  café  isn’t  just  about  saving  food;  it’s  about  valuing  people,  creating  connection,  and  showing  that  small  actions  can  make  a  big  difference.\n\nBeyond  the  café  doors,  REfUSE  is  a  thriving  hub  of  community  activity.  We  run  workshops,  events,  and  training  opportunities  that  build  skills,  confidence,  and  wellbeing  —  from  our  Eat  Smart  sessions  helping  schools  reduce  food  waste  to  volunteer  training  and  our  popular  Restaurant  Nights.  Volunteers,  staff,  and  customers  all  work  side  by  side  to  create  a  place  filled  with  purpose,  laughter,  and  hope.  At  REfUSE,  food  becomes  a  tool  for  change  —  transforming  waste  into  wonder,  and  strangers  into  friends.',
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                    skillsExperienceAndQualitiesNeeded:
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                      'Kitchen  volunteers  at  REfUSE  Café  are  the  creative  force  behind  the  magic  that  happens  in  our  kitchen  every  day.  \n\nThey  transform  rescued  ingredients  into  delicious  meals,  helping  to  fight  food  waste  while  feeding  the  community.  It’s  a  hands-on,  fast-paced,  and  rewarding  role  —  chopping,  cooking,  and  plating  up  alongside  a  supportive  team  who  share  skills,  stories,  and  plenty  of  laughs.  \n\nWhether  you’re  a  confident  cook  or  just  keen  to  learn,  every  kitchen  volunteer  helps  bring  our  values  to  life:  turning  what  might  have  been  wasted  into  something  wonderful  and  proving  that  food  —  and  people  —  are  far  too  good  to  waste.\n',
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                    websiteLink:  'https://refusedurham.org.uk/',
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                      'As  a  kitchen  volunteer,  we  ask  that  you  can  work  under  pressure,  thrive  in  a  busy  team  and  be  able  to  take  and  follow  instructions.  ',
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                      'A  basic  understanding  of  cooking  is  required  as  you  will  be  working  in  an  industrial-style  kitchen.  \nFor  those  wanting  to  learn  how  to  cook,  we  recommend  Handcrafted,  an  organisation  we  closely  work  with,  as  a  point  of  call.\nWe  ask  that  you  undergo  a  kitchen  trial  so  that  we  can  assess  your  confidence  and  comfortability  within  the  kitchen.  If  successful,  you’ll  have  the  opportunity  to\ndevelop  your  skills  alongside  our  kitchen  leads  which  would  also  include  completing  your  Level  2  Food  Safety  with  us.\n\nWe  are  looking  for  volunteers  who:\nEnjoy  cooking  at  home\nCan  learn  quickly\n\nUnderstand  basic  health  and  safety  regulations  regarding  the  kitchen\nCan  work  under  pressure  in  a  fast-paced  environment\nEnjoy  cleaning  to  a  high  standard\nEnjoy  working  in  a  small,  dynamic  team\n\nHave  the  interpersonal  skills  to  communicate  with  each  other',
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                    websiteLink:  'https://refusedurham.org.uk/',
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                      'Eat  Smart  is  an  education  project  working  with  different  primary  schools  across  the  region  each  half  term.  It  aims  to  empower  children,  in  partnership  with  their  school  staff  and  catering  providers,  to  take  action  to  reduce  food  waste  across  their  entire  school  site.  \n\nREfUSE  volunteers  make  a  fantastic  contribution  in  supporting  the  delivery  of  Eat  Smart  workshops  in  classrooms  from  nurseries  to  Year  6  where  we  explore  the  reasons  for  putting  less  food  in  the  bin,  the  energy  and  resources  that  it  takes  to  produce  their  meals,  and  we  throw  down  the  challenge  to  be  brave  and  try\nnew  foods.  \n\nREfUSE  volunteers  are  also  involved  in  food  audits  across  the  school  site,  collecting  data  and  talking  to  children  about  their  food.\n\nIn  addition  to  Eat  Smart,  established  REfUSE  volunteers  are  engaged  in  running  activities  in  the  café  and  warehouse  to  enable  young  people  to  understand  how\nREfUSE  supports  a  healthy  and  sustainable  food  system  and  what  we  can  all  do  at  home  to  become  food  waste  saving  heroes.\n\nPlease  note  that  work  with  schools  requires  a  DBS  check  (organised  by  REfUSE)  and  we  ask  that  volunteers  who  are  interested  in  engagement  roles  first  volunteer  in  general  café  roles  for  an  extended  period  of  time.\n\nWorking  with  young  people  is  an  important  aspect  of  our  work  at  REfUSE  and  training  is  provided  for  all  role.  Please  ask  for  more  information.',
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                    name:  'Restaurant  Night  Volunteers',
                    shortDescription:
                      'Restaurant  Night  volunteers  at  REfUSE  Café  help  create  one  of  the  most  special  experiences  we  offer  —  transforming  the  café  into  a  vibrant,  welcoming  restaurant  where  rescued  food  meets  fine  dining.  \n\nThese  volunteers  bring  energy  and  flair  to  the  evening,  greeting  guests,  serving  beautifully  prepared  dishes,  and  helping  to  create  a  memorable  atmosphere  filled  with  community  spirit.  \n\nIt’s  a  chance  to  be  part  of  something  truly  unique  —  turning  surplus  ingredients  into  a  restaurant-quality  experience,  showcasing  the  creativity  of  our  chefs,  and  giving  diners  a  taste  of  what’s  possible  when  people  and  food  are  valued.  Every  Restaurant  Night  is  a  celebration,  and  our  volunteers  are  at  the  heart  of  it.',
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                    contactPerson:  'Lee  Bailey',
                    contactEmail:  'leerefuse@gmail.com',
                    contactTelephone:  '07561765264',
                    address:
                      '143c  Front  Street,  Chester  le  Street,  County  Durham,  DH3  3AU',
                    hours:  '5:30  -  9:30pm  on  a  Thursday',
                    websiteLink:  'https://refusedurham.org.uk/',
                    whatYouWillBeDoing:
                      'Our  restaurant  nights  help  to  raise  funds  for  the  ongoing  work  of  our  non-profit  café.  \n\nThree  times  a  month,  we  have  a  volunteer  guest  chef  who  puts  together  a  three  course  meal  for  40  diners  on  a  Thursday  evening.  We  pull  out  the  posh\ncrockery,  ambient  lighting  and  the  customers  who  can’t  support  us  during  the  working  day,  come  along  to  enjoy  a  restaurant-style  meal.\n\nAs  part  of  the  restaurant  night  team  you’ll  be  part  of  these  extremely  popular  nights,  helping  to  prep  or  serve  food,  serving  dishes  to  our  customers  or\nclearing  away  and  washing  up.  You  will  learn  new  skills  and  develop  your  cooking  confidence.\n\nIf  cooking  isn’t  your  thing,  we  also  have  volunteering  opportunities  in  the  vitally  important  washing  up  department  and  front  of  house  serving  food  and  drinks\nto  customers.\n\n',
                    skillsExperienceAndQualitiesNeeded:
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                    supportOfferedExpenses:  'On-the-job  training  provided.',
                    whenAndWhere:  'Thursday  evenings  at  the  café.',
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