A weekly pop-up café and pantry trying to battle food waste has been awarded a cash grant to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

Charlie's Angels Kitchens, based in Tunbridge Wells, was founded by Charlie Moore who says she has "always despised" food waste.

The organisation launched in December 2021 after gaining £750 from a GoFundMe page shared with friends and family.

The 47-year-old, who is from Rusthall, said: "All of the growth has occurred through the donations.

"We serve food and have a stall of surplus food which is on a pay as you feel basis so that anyone who feels that they want to pay it forwards to cover the running costs for someone who can't afford it is able to do so.

"And people who can't afford it and need to access the food can do so and no one knows who donates what."

Tunbridge Wells council has set up the new community support fund which has awarded a number of grants to different organisations.

The £100,000 fund was created by councillors in response to the cost-of-living crisis which is impacting many vulnerable households in the borough.

Charlie's Angels Kitchens was awarded a portion of the money and will use it to provide additional hot meals and ingredients for people to make their own meals at home.

They also provide the community with food from FareShare, which distributes surplus food.

Other organisations that got a cut are Nourish, Number One Community Trust, Tunbridge Wells & District Volunteer Bureau, Parish larders, and West Kent Mind.

"This money will mean a huge increase in what we're able to offer," Charlie said.

"FareShare can bring us a second delivery. I've already signed up to a second pop-up in Southborough and we're looking at High Brooms where I hope to launch by the end of March."

She also said she will now be able to buy a van and a power source.

Charlie added: "I haven't quite got my head around it because it's such a grass roots thrift organisation that I've spent so long trying to borrow stuff and make stuff happen with no money, but now suddenly I do."

The end goal is to open a permanent café so they are able to offer the service daily.

It would also be a central hub to make preparation for food and the pop-ups easier.

She said that she has definitely seen a visible change since the cost of living crisis has come about.

In the beginning, their clientèle were mostly people who were concerned about food waste.

She explained: "That was our baseline, to reduce food waste.

"A lot of people were coming along saying this is brilliant, we knew that supermarkets were throwing food away and we didn't know how to access it.

"Now, we've got more and more people coming, donations are dropping as people have got less spare money.

"A few people have said that this means on a Wednesday, I don't have to use my cooker, they're that concerned about the increase in energy prices."

The community volunteer said she is also getting more people asking her to save them things.

"It is squeezing people left, right and centre," she added.

If you would like to volunteer for Charlie's Angels Kitchens, click here.

Deputy council leader Nancy Warne said: "The council has recognised the urgency of addressing the cost-of-living crisis.

"We have been swift in our response by ensuring that additional funds have been secured and allocated to support those helping people in the borough during particularly challenging times."