Liverpool’s Queen of Greens launches crowdfunder to keep community grocery bus on the road. Every donation will be matched pound-for-pound by Aviva, up to £250 per donation, doubling support for the mobile greengrocer
Alchemic Kitchen CIC has launched a crowdfunding campaign to secure the future of the Queen of Greens, the mobile greengrocer service that has become a trusted fixture in more than 20 communities across Liverpool and Knowsley.
The campaign is backed by Aviva’s Communities Fund under its Financial Wellbeing priority: keeping the Queen of Greens on the road helps households manage food costs by offering loose, affordable fresh produce close to home and cutting out the costs to travel to a supermarket, support that matters for families managing tight budgets.
Without two working buses, the Queen of Greens cannot reach all its regular stops, putting reliable access to fresh, affordable fruit and vegetables at risk for the neighbourhoods that depend on it. The campaign, hosted on crowdfunder.co.uk, aims to raise £10,000 from public donations towards a replacement bus.
Every individual donation made during the six-week campaign will be matched pound-for-pound by Aviva’s Communities Fund, up to £250 per donation, bringing the total support to £20,000 towards the cost of a reliable replacement vehicle. Meaning a £20 gift becomes £40 of support for Queen of Greens or put another way that’s 40 generous donations of £250 matched to generate a new Queen of Queens bus. Should the campaign exceed its target, Aviva will match up to £25,000 reaching this stretch goal will pay to customise and brand the new bus. Queen of Greens has welcomed more than 10,000 customers over the past year and processed over 116,000 Alexandra Rose vouchers, which help low-income families buy fresh fruit and vegetables.
The bus pays its team the Real Living Wage and, this year, expanded into three Liverpool hospitals too. Broadgreen, Aintree and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital all now have static produce stalls that have already recorded over 1,200 visits.
From the Queen of Greens 2025–26 Impact Report
● Customers frequently described the project as helping them and their families eat more
fresh fruit and vegetables – particularly in areas where healthy food options are limited or
unaffordable. One customer explained: “We eat better because of the bus. I worry about the
kids eating sugar, which is what all the deals and offers are centred around at the
supermarket.”
● Customers repeatedly described the project as reducing financial pressure while increasing
access to healthy food: “The bus helps me to put food on my table that I otherwise wouldn’t
be able to get due to financial limitations.”
● “Some of the areas in Liverpool are fruit and veg deserts so these families haven’t got access
to fresh produce. A lot of families are also unable to travel far and so are really in need of
having access to good food in their area. We know with the cost-of-living crisis that fruit and
veg is now very expensive and takes a chunk out of weekly household budgets.”
Lucy Antal, Director, Alchemic Kitchen CIC: “The Queen of Greens started because in too many places in our city, it’s still easier to buy a vape than an apple. Three years on, it’s part of daily life for thousands of families and that only happens because people back it. This crowdfunder, and Aviva’s match funding gives those, who think what we’re doing is important, a chance to double the difference they make, and help us keep the buses on the road for the next chapter. Unfortunately, we’re only ever able to buy pre-loved buses and they have a much shorter shelf life and higher maintenance costs, so funding and donations are essential to keep us on the road.”
The campaign launches on 1st October, just days before Alchemic Kitchen’s Apple Day 2026, the organisation’s flagship community gleaning event at National Trust Speke Hall, giving supporters a chance to donate in person as well as online.
If the campaign reaches its £20,000 target, supporters will be entered into a prize draw which includes vouchers for use in the local area donated by kind businesses including Bundobust and the Liverpool Cheese Company.
The crowdfunder campaign runs until 12th November 2026.
To donate from the 1st October, visit www.alchemickitchen.org/donate or search Queen of Greens on crowdfunder.co.uk
The Queen of Greens exists because communities, partners and supporters share a belief that everyone should have access to affordable, healthy food and demand for the service continues to grow. Support and funding help to secure the buses and the service and makes reaching more communities possible.