Residents in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, can now use a new online directory to find free or low-cost food across the borough. Launched on 3 February 2026, the Gateshead Food Support Map was published by Gateshead Foodbank in collaboration with Connected Voice (which hosts the map on its OurGateshead platform) and the Gateshead Food Partnership to help people struggling with the high cost of living find immediate support.
The digital map is hosted on the OurGateshead platform, managed by Connected Voice. It lists more than 40 locations across the borough — including community pantries, social supermarkets and pay-as-you-feel cafés — and highlights places where residents can get a meal or groceries without a professional referral or a Trussell Trust-style voucher.
The initiative comes as Gateshead Council and local partners prepare for the end of the Household Support Fund (HSF) in March 2026, a locally administered government programme that has supported community food projects (the dossier references a local allocation of around £3.2m). Organisers say the map is designed to support everyone, including people who work full-time but still struggle to afford enough food for their families and who may not meet the strict criteria for traditional emergency aid.
The project forms part of a wider effort by the Gateshead Food Partnership to help local food projects become sustainable. By putting information in one place, the group hopes residents in neighbourhoods such as Felling, Low Fell and Birtley can more easily find help within walking distance of their homes.
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