It’s been a great week for Love Haslemere Hate Waste. It is truly wonderful for this organisation - run by volunteers who are making such a positive green contribution to the Haslemere community -  is recognised.

On LinkedIn, Victoria Page (Chair of Love Haslemere Hate Waste) wrote:

“It’s been a busy week! Not only has Love Haslemere Hate Waste been “Highly Commended (Green Award)” at the BBC Surrey Make a Difference Awards on Monday, but also received a Bronze Award at the Global Good Awards on Wednesday!

Well done to all of our Repair Cafe, Community Fridge and Library of Things volunteers!”

Victoria also gave thanks to Dan Slatter, CEO for FareShare Surrey and Sussex saying:

“In no small part thanks to your support for Community Fridge!”

At the Global Good Awards, the organisation recognised LHHW:

“This is a fine example of a local sustainability initiative which is impressively engaged with a wide range of programmes covering everything from repair and reuse to tackling food waste and instituting a ‘borrow don’t buy’ culture. Its committed female leadership is an abject lesson for others…a community initiative which supports the repair and reuse of products, the loan and sharing of products and the use of end of life food products They are promoting and teaching sustainable living in a non-preachy way and engaging with different generations as opposed to talking at them”.

Earlier this year, Jennifer Edwards was also a recipient of A Haslemere Volunteer Award. The organising committee acknowledged:

“Jen is one of Love Haslemere Hate Waste's (LHHW) early members, having joined the charity as a repairer in 2020. During lockdown she taught herself on YouTube videos to sew and mend and now uses her skills through the Repair Café. She has renovated over 100 items and saved them going into landfill. Jen is often found at the café encouraging and helping local people to mend things themselves. She also updates content on the Community Fridge distributing 80kg of rescued food every week to people in Haslemere. She is instrumental in setting up The Library of Things which has 30 odd items available for people to borrow rather than buy, including a drill, sewing machine and numbered cake tins. She is a dedicated and passionate individual who thoroughly deserves to have her work recognised, and is an inspiration to others.”

The picture accompanying this article features Jennifer Edwards and Victoria Page at the 2025 Global Good Awards. Credit: Ingrid Weel Photography.