City Harvest Festival: food charity part of historic National Harvest Service at Westminster Abbey

16 October 2025 – World Food Day. The National Harvest Festival Service at Westminster Abbey gives thanks to our farmers and the food they produce, whilst also acknowledging that many people do not have enough to eat. In London alone, 1 in 4 people experience food insecurity daily.

This World Food Day, Love British Food teamed up with food redistribution and food bank charities, City Harvest, Trussell, The Felix Project and the Coronation Food Project to thank the many volunteers and communities who serve in this sector. For City Harvest, Harvest Festival is our main awareness campaign of the year to celebrate where our food comes from and how we share it with London’s communities.

Thursday’s National Harvest Service at Westminster Abbey welcomed over 2,000 attendees, including Her Majesty The Queen, who has supported Love British Food and British Food Fortnight since the campaign’s early years.

The congregation also comprised the involved food charities and their volunteers, staff and supporters, the National Farmers Union, London schools, and other members of the British food network. 

Sharing the bounty of the Harvest

To celebrate Harvest Festival at Westminster Abbey, various British farmers and food businesses came together to provide a harvest display fit for a Queen. Suppliers included HG Walter butchers, The National Farmers’ Union (tractor of food), Morrisons, Tywardreath Bakery and Smithfield Market. The wooden crates of glossy apples has been picked by Felix Project volunteers from orchards in Kent.

All food was then redistributed by City Harvest and the Felix Project vans to local organisations who feed their communities. These charities were the Abbey Centre, Tachbrook Youth & Social Club, King George’s Hostel and Mary Smith’s Pantry.

“Without City Harvest, we simply couldn’t offer fresh produce at this level,” Caz explained. 

City Harvest’s first stop following the National Harvest Service was The Abbey Centre. The centre is a stone’s throw from the abbey, and brings people together daily through food.

For 77 years, the Abbey Centre has been at the heart of its community, a vibrant hub where meals, creativity, and support services come together to help residents thrive “from cradle to grave.” City Harvest has delivered free food to the centre since 2017. Learn more about the Abbey Centre here. 

Celebrating City Harvest Volunteers

City Harvest’s volunteers are at the heart of what we do. Every hour spent volunteering at one of City Harvest’s food rescue sites EQUALS 530 meals worth of food delivered to one of our London community partners. 

We were delighted to celebrate World Food Day and Harvest Festival at Westminster Abbey with some of our most dedicated volunteers. Pam Hutchinson, our longest-serving volunteer, read one of the prayers as part of the church service. Diana Nobis, a regular volunteer at our New Covent Garden Market site, took part in the Harvest Festival offertory, alongside primary school students from one of City Harvest’s recipient schools, John Perryn Primary School.

Acton volunteer, Will Cooke, was an incredible usher for the day. Inspirational volunteer and recent triathlete, Brian Geraty, was personally thanked by The Queen. We were also joined by many other volunteers within our community, as well as corporate volunteers.

Thank you to all who came to celebrate and who dedicate hundreds of hours to support our mission. 

History of the National Harvest Service at Westminster Abbey

The first National Harvest Service was inaugurated at Westminster Abbey in 2013 by Her Majesty The Queen, when Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, as part of Love British Food campaign to rekindle the tradition of celebrating the Harvest. It was the first harvest service to be held here in half a century, since 1966. Since then, the service has taken place in a different part of the country ecery autumn, returning to the Abbey on World Food Day.

City Harvest’s Latest Value Report

Hand in Hand: The World’s Food Redistribution Sector is Stronger Together

This World Food Day also saw the launch of City Harvest’s latest Value Report. Fittingly, this year’s World Food Day theme, “Hand in Hand,” calls for increased collaboration to create a food-secure future. Heeding this call, this report explores the critical role of collaboration within and across food redistribution sectors worldwide, especially amidst intersecting global crises.

Through comparative analysis of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United States and the UK, and interviews with leaders from nearly a dozen food redistribution charities, this edition of the Food Value Report contextualises the UK’s food redistribution sector, identifies its unique strengths and areas for improvement, and underscores the importance of intersectoral collaboration both in and outside of the UK.

“Collaboration to unite ‘waste and want’ ensures everyone benefits from a breadth of expertise and resource. Since 2014, City Harvest London has worked alongside national and international food charities sharing insight and best practice. Constant improvement and collaboration with the food industry means we can rescue as much food, to feed as many people, and respect our planet.”