On Wednesday, 11 December, students from the University of Bristol will host a charity pop-up restaurant at Coexist, above the Canteen on Stokes Croft. Their aim is to raise funds and improve awareness of food poverty in the city.

Volunteers will be serving up a Christmas themed three-course meal using food that has been sourced from the surplus of local shops and supermarkets.

The evening will celebrate the countdown to Christmas with live music, food, art work and guest speakers.

Pop-up restaurant manager Lizzie van Zyl said: “As managers for the pop-up restaurant we have a passion for spreading the FoodCycle message. It’s a great opportunity to create a lively atmosphere where local artists and musicians can showcase their work. People can get involved in cooking and just have a really fun evening.”

All proceeds raised at the Christmas event will go towards FoodCycle Bristol’s main project of providing weekly meals at Easton Community Centre.

The charity is run by volunteers who collect food that supermarkets and shops would otherwise throw away, before transporting it to their community kitchen using bicycle trailers. Volunteer chefs then cater for 20 to 40 guests at a time, creating wholesome meals which are served free.

Nell Benney, Cooking Manager at Easton Community Kitchen, said: “Managing the kitchen at Easton is always completely unpredictable and exciting. It’s always a great feeling when we fill about 40 bellies entirely from food that would have been wasted.”

FoodCycle also has a community garden, provides community outreach and runs educational projects in the local community. This will be the first time it has opened its pop-up restaurant doors to the general public.

Tickets for the event cost £5 and are available from the Virgin Money Giving website.

For further information or to get involved, please see the FoodCycle Bristol Facebook page, join the mailing list or email foodcyclebristol@gmail.com.