Opportunity · Winter

Jobs & Training

Winter

Khepera

Charmaine Fyffe glows with good health. Born and bred in High Wycombe, she studied Chemistry at university and worked as a chemist in the paper milling industry before becoming an accountant.

During this time, she suffered from debilitating abdominal pain which led her to study naturopathic remedies – a holistic approach to nutrition. Within a week of fasting and eliminating animal products her pain disappeared, like a modern-day miracle. For her body, this was the answer she needed.

She resolved to make this her career and, fascinated by Egyptology since childhood, she named her new venture ‘khepera’, Egyptian for transformation. By 2015, Khepera was registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC) – a social enterprise established to benefit local Wycombe people.

Charmaine is passionate about reducing health inequalities. She says global majority communities have a higher genetic propensity for cardiovascular, blood pressure and obesity/diabetes-related issues and that Wycombe has the county’s highest rate of hospitalisations for these conditions.

Khepera is based in Duke Street, beside One Can Trust, tackling food accessibility and skills poverty as a wellbeing kitchen, focusing on plant-based cooking classes, gleaning and preserving excess produce. There are paid and grant-funded classes, youth programmes and workshops.

If you are interested in attending classes, helping as a volunteer or have a glut of produce in your garden, please call 01494 211170 or 07985 478534, or visit khepera.org.uk.

Raising your company’s profile in the community

If you or your company can help deliver this community magazine, getting it into local people’s homes, please email hello@hwlife.co.uk.

About 27% of adults in High Wycombe have no access to digital communications, such as emails or social media. It’s a surprisingly high number – to do with poverty, learning difficulties or domestic issues. High Wycombe Life magazine may be the only community information they can access. We’ll publish the names of companies who help us.

Photo: Neil Marshment, Ed Silvester

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