LOCAL LIFE

INSIDE EDITION 44

At the end of each day, when bakeries, delis, cafés and grocers begin to wind down, there is often still perfectly good food left unsold. Food waste may be a global issue, but in a place like Hermanus, where conscious living plays a big role, one local is showing that meaningful change can start within our own community. 

Launched just three weeks ago by programmer Ross Keenan, StillFresh is a simple but powerful concept aimed at reducing food waste while supporting local businesses. Inspired by the widely used European platform ‘Too Good To Go’, Ross brought the idea home and adapted it for a local audience.

At its core, StillFresh connects local food businesses with customers willing to purchase surplus items at a reduced price. These 'rescue bags” are filled with whatever a business has left at the end of the day (or from the day before). The items are fresh, quality foods that might otherwise go to waste.

Ross describes it as a bit of a lucky packet – you don’t always know what you’re going to get. It all depends on what’s still available, so each rescue bag from the same business can be different from the last.

“I came across it while visiting Germany,” he explains. “The idea stuck with me for years before I decided to launch StillFresh. I’ve always been aware of global issues, and I wanted to do something tangible that could make a real impact.”

The process of ‘rescuing' a bag of food is straightforward: customers reserve and pay for a bag online, the business is notified, and collection happens within a set time window. So far, local favourites like Mr. Write, Black Medicine, and Baked Coffee Bar have joined the platform, with more cafés, bakeries, delis, grocers, and restaurants in the pipeline.

For businesses, StillFresh offers several benefits – reducing food waste, recovering some costs, and potentially attracting new customers. There is also no cost for businesses to list their rescue bags on the website. When a rescue bag is sold, a small commission goes to Ross to help cover expenses.

For users, it’s an affordable way to access quality food while making a positive environmental impact. Each purchase also includes an impact report, estimating the water, energy and carbon emissions saved, calculated across the entire lifecycle of the food, from production to plate.

StillFresh also introduces a thoughtful community element. Users can gift a rescue bag to someone else or donate a bag for someone to claim. Ross is currently exploring ways for these donated bags to reach members of the community who may not have access to the technology needed to claim them. If you refer a friend, you can earn store credit towards your next bag. But beyond the rewards, the real value lies in shifting habits and mindsets around food consumption.

Ross’s long-term goal for StillFresh is to make it national, but for now, the focus remains local. “Food waste is a huge issue globally,” he says. “But if we can reduce it within our own community, that’s already a step in the right direction.”

For more information and to buy rescue bags, visit www.stillfresh.co.za. Businesses interested in signing up can contact Ross on 079 367 4283 or via email at support@mail.stillfresh.co.za

In the whirlwind of pregnancy and a baby’s first year, the focus is naturally on the mother and child. We celebrate the bond, we check the milestones, and we provide extensive resources to support the recovery and mental health of the mother. ​But what about the father?

​For Adam Richardson, founder of the ‘DADit’ app, the experience of early fatherhood was defined by an isolating realisation – he felt like a "second-class citizen" in his own parenting journey. His experience began at the gynecologist’s office during one of his wife’s check-ups. Adam says he felt like he was simply "just there”. 

Usually a very patient person, Adam began experiencing irritability and anger around three-to-four months after his son was born. He chalked it up to exhaustion and tried to push his way through, but eventually realised this wasn't something that was going to go away on its own.

Seeking therapy was the turning point that allowed Adam to recognise his struggles as Paternal Postpartum Depression (PPD), a condition that, for many men, is masked by a society that centres pregnancy and new parenthood around women.

While it is well-known that women experience dramatic chemical shifts, research shows that men also undergo physiological changes during a partner’s pregnancy and in the months that follow. PPD affects about 1 in 10 fathers, but rather than crying or visible sadness, it manifests as anger, escapism, or a complete emotional shutdown. Impulsivity and loss of motivation are common.

Drawing on his own experiences, Adam created DADit, an app designed to help fathers feel, and be, more involved. ​Unlike other apps, DADit moves beyond basic tracking to become a comprehensive​ assistant. Features include:

• ​Family Sync: recognising that parenting is a team effort, DADit allows access for up to four family members to stay connected and coordinated.

• AI Parenting Assistant: Adams’s favourite feature, it is a game-changer for midnight anxiety. Instead of a new dad frantically Googling for answers at 3am, they can turn to the app. It picks up the child's age and previously logged activities to give tailored, relevant advice.

With DADit, Adam is helping to shift the traditional narrative – moving away from the idea of a father who is "just there" toward one who is a supported partner and parent.

For fathers stepping into the complex world of new parenting, DADit is available on the App Store and Google Play.

For more information or to contact Adam, visit https://dadit.app/landing

Adam, creator of the DADit app, is originally from the UK, but moved to the United States at age 17. He later met his South African wife, Linde, online. After chatting for three months, they met in person for the first time during a two-week holiday to Cape Town, for which Adam traveled from the U.S. and Linde from Johannesburg. Their transition to life in Cape Town held its own set of challenges, including a six-month period of unemployment. The couple married in 2019 and settled in Onrus in 2025. They are now proud parents of a 9-month-old son. Image supplied by Adam.

In Hermanus and the greater Overstrand, a new kind of design consultancy is offering something refreshingly simple: honest, professional advice when you need it most. AskDAD is built around the familiar old adage (when in doubt, ask dad), but here the name carries an added meaning. 'DAD' stands for Design, Advice and Direction – three pillars that define the service.

The idea was born in 2017, driven by founder and architect Helen Henzen’s desire to help people navigate the often overwhelming world of property and construction. Although AskDAD officially launched only last year, the passion behind it has been decades in the making. 

Helen’s interest in design and architecture began at just eight years old, and over the years she has built extensive experience in the field. She and her husband, Dirk, made the Overstrand their permanent home in 2024, after having a home in Northcliff since 2022. Today, AskDAD works physically with clients in the Overstrand area and offers online consultations further afield.

Helen’s goal with AskDAD is straightforward: to offer honest, professional guidance and to help fill knowledge gaps from every possible angle, whether from the perspective of an individual homeowner, an engineer, a contractor or a property investor. Property decisions can be complex, and people often find themselves unsure of their next step. AskDAD steps into that space to provide clarity and direction.

Her services range from reviewing house plans, to visiting a property you are considering buying to ensure there is nothing structurally or legally amiss. That independent, experienced eye can make all the difference before a major financial commitment is made. She can also guide clients through processes such as planning, building, redesigning or zoning, helping them understand what comes next and who they need to speak to.

A key part of AskDAD’s vision is connection. Helen aims to build strong working relationships with engineers, architects, real estate agents and other industry professionals in order to recommend trusted, local experts to her clients. At the same time, those professionals are welcome to approach her for input or a second opinion. The philosophy is collaborative rather than competitive.

“We should all be more open to helping one another,” she says. “We all have a wealth of knowledge that can be shared. It is alright not to know something. People shouldn’t be afraid to ask and support each other.”

That mindset sits at the heart of AskDAD. It is not about replacing architects, engineers or contractors, but about offering design, advice and direction at any stage of a project. Whether someone is buying, building, renovating or simply exploring possibilities, Helen provides a steady, informed voice to help them move forward with confidence.

In a property environment where costs are high and regulations can be daunting, having access to experienced, independent guidance is invaluable. For Overstrand residents especially, AskDAD is becoming a trusted local resource – proof that sometimes the smartest next step is simply to ask.

Helen can be contacted on 082 560 7785 or visit www.ask-dad.co.za

Just fifteen minutes from Stanford, the three-storey limestone house overlooking the Klein River Lagoon – once known as the ‘Spookhuis’ – is now a part of something extraordinary. Originally built in 1892, it spent decades abandoned before being skillfully restored in the early 2000s using locally quarried limestone.

In October 2020, a group of like-minded friends purchased the property with a vision: to create a place where friends and family could gather, rooted in nature, community, and conservation. Two years later, Coot Club officially opened, offering immersive hospitality where guests are not only visitors, but partners in nurturing a delicate and beautiful ecosystem.

The name Coot Club comes from Arthur Ransome’s 1934 novel of the same name. In the story, children form a secret society to protect nesting birds along England’s waterways. Their mission: enjoy the wild while guarding it. That ethos of stewardship and shared responsibility defines Coot Club today – a reminder that belonging to a place also means caring for it.

Set on the banks of the Klein River Lagoon, Coot Club is surrounded by 465 hectares of private conservation land. The property is a member of the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy, a collective of 54 members who together manage over 26 000 hectares, working to protect one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

The conservancy is overseen by warden Jeanne van Tonder, who works closely with Coot Club and other landowners to safeguard the unique biodiversity of the area.

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