Community food champion honoured by Lymington optician
Post on 16th February 2026
A dedicated local volunteer who transforms surplus food into meals for families in need has been recognised for her daily acts of kindness and unwavering community support with a special award.
Jane Overall is the latest recipient of Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care’s Community Hero Award. She was presented with the honour by the company’s Lymington branch team on the High Street, along with a bouquet, sweet treats and a £100 voucher, in celebration of her selfless efforts.
Jane founded The Food Rescue Kitchen five years ago to support local families facing food insecurity and now runs it from her dedicated kitchen, alongside her popular tearoom, The Brock Tearoom.
Each evening, Jane and her team collect surplus food donated by six supermarkets in New Milton, Lymington and Brockenhurst. The majority of this food is distributed through the New Forest Basics Bank, helping to supplement essential food parcels for families in need. Every parcel also includes homemade banana cake, made to Jane’s own recipe, with almost 15,000 baked to date. Any additional surplus food is transformed into a range of soups and ready meals, ensuring nothing goes to waste while providing further support to the food bank.
Jane is well known in her local community of Brockenhurst, having lived there for 34 years. She built and opened The Brock and Bruin Tearoom with her late husband, sold the business in 2003, then returned in 2025 and reopened it as The Brock Tearoom, enabling her to have her own dedicated kitchen space for The Food Rescue Kitchen.
Branch Manager, Donna Crouch, said, “Jane has been a valued customer of the Lymington branch for over 25 years, so we are honoured to recognise her for the kindness she shows to everyone around her. Her tireless commitment, carried out alongside her own business responsibilities, epitomises the spirit of the Community Hero Award and highlights the remarkable difference one person can make through compassion, generosity and small meaningful acts.”
Commenting on her Scrivens Community Hero Award win, Jane said: “I’m so grateful to receive this award from Donna and her team. Those who know me know I hate waste, so being able to create cakes, soups and meals from rescued fruit and vegetables to pass on to the New Forest Basics Bank to give to those who may need a little extra support is immensely rewarding.”
Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care is a family run business that was established over 85 years ago in 1938. It has 166 high-street stores in towns and cities across England and Wales, with 1,000 employees. For more information, visit www.scrivens.com.