Community Kitchen and sustainable living

Aim

To give disadvantaged people the opportunity to grow, learn to cook their own food and share this knowledge across the community.

We are fundraising for this amazing community resource and we have already raised over £70k! This final push with your support will enable us to finish our community kitchen build and get our local community planting and growing their own food!

Further info below...

This grant will help people living in a very deprived area who are experiencing modern poverty on a daily basis.  Our aim is to give families the skills to live more sustainably, meaning they spend less, eat healthier, interact socially and keep their brains alive by learning.  We wish to give these people the skills to then enable them to teach others how to make these life style changes empowering them and boosting their confidence and mental health.  The cabin will be a fundamental part of this community.

Our Project 

We are seeking funding towards a log cabin with a kitchen and toilet facilities.  The cabin will also be a much needed community resource.   

Mental Health is a huge issue in our area since Covid struck.  We have a population who are in the 10% most deprived in the country and some families who are living in poverty.   

We wish to build back better by establishing a forest allotment area with a cabin where the community can come and grow their own food, learn how to cook and be educated about the environment.  Healthy eating is a huge issue in the community and parents at local schools have reported through a parental survey that they struggle to know what to cook and how to cook it.  Part of our initiative is for families to complete the whole food process from planting, nurturing, picking, cooking and then eating.  We will support this process and teach families how to cook healthy meals together using an allotment and a cabin with kitchen facilities.   

Whilst our project has a practical element which is clear, the confidence, self-esteem and mental health benefits should not be under estimated.  The outdoors, the learning opportunities, the family time alongside making new friends and build community relationships are all known positive factors on improving mental health issues.   

We want our project to give this community something to be proud of, to build resilience, to educate on the environment and to feed families in a health sustainable way. 

In setting up this area it will first and foremost give the community somewhere to talk and break down social barriers which have developed further during the pandemic.  Issues with mental health have shown to have increased in both children and adults and engaging in activities gives families the chance to relax together and get to know other families. 

It improves an area in a deprived community which struggles for green space.  It creates a place for families to be able to grow and eat healthy food also contributing to a healthier mind.

Impact 

This project will have an impact at community level on the families and individuals living there.  It will also impact on the environment by giving local people the opportunity to grow their own fruit and vegetables and to come together to share cooking ideas eating healthy home grown produce.

This project successfully funded on 23rd January 2023