An organisation that runs a food larder is crowdfunding to save a vegan café at risk of closure.

Cherwell Collective, a Kidlington-based project that works to reduce food waste by distributing surplus food from supermarkets, hopes to raise £70,000 to keep Eden Cafe in Wesley Walk in Witney open.

The antipodean style café serves all vegan and mostly gluten-free food and drinks.

Owner and baker Becs Hinds has been looking to sell or close the café as a last resort to focus on her health and recovery from recent treatment for breast cancer.

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She moved from New Zealand to the UK with her English husband in 2007 and after a few weeks without decent coffee was motivated to start the café.

She started out in a mobile trailer in 2013 attending a few local events and then took a regular spot in the Witney Market.

The café moved into its current location in December 2014.

It’s very important to her, and many of the regular customers of Eden, that the café retains its core vegan ethos and continues to support the local community.

Cherwell Collective director and founder Emily Connally said: "After hearing about the possibility of losing Witney’s much loved Eden Café, we knew we had to act to save this vegan hub and community gem."

To find out more or donate go to the fundraising page: https://www.spacehive.com/eden-wish

She added: "We want to continue building on the strong foundations that Becs and the Eden Café team have established over the last 10 years, adding to community initiatives, such as being a registered Safe Places location and hosting regular Oxfordshire Parkinson’s UK social meet ups.

"We want to use the goodwill it has built up to introduce even more people to good plant-based food, build climate resilience together, and make a warm space with a 'freezer of love' to prevent food waste, and to increase community well being."

The aim is for the café to continue to offer "delicious and planet friendly food" but also add some space for a community hub.

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The café will establish a 'freezer of love' to increase access to plant-based foods for people in need and provide meals at no or low cost to the community after café hours.

It will be open for community organisations with climate action exhibits explaining how people can make more sustainable choices, 'climate speed dating' and other social events, a dedicated family space and well-being activities among other offers.

The collective has until the end of May to fund the changes.

Dr Connally said: "If the community donates enough, we also have a few generous funders who will match fund donations.

"One donor has even made it clear - if we get most of the way they will kick in up to £10,000 to get us over the finish line! 

"To get there, though, what we really need is the power of the people.

"No amount is too small, and every share helps!"