Member updates

Healthy Living Platform starts Crowdfunder to support new community café project in Myatts Fields

Lambeth community food charity- Healthy Living Platform- is looking to take on the running of the community café in Myatts Fields North Community Centre.

The café space has been empty since December and Healthy Living Platform believes they are best-placed to take over the space and run the facilities for the benefit of the whole community.

Healthy Living Platform plans to run the café as a social business, creating connections across the local community and supporting a range of different causes.

The charity plans are for the café to provide community support such as:

  • Low-cost after-school food for families on free school meals  
  • Food markets supporting local suppliers  
  • Volunteering and work experience for local young people 
  • Employment opportunities for residents  
  • Food Ambassador Training – a bespoke community cooking course that supports a wide-range of Lambeth residents to get Food Hygiene Level 2 and into employment.

The Crowdfunder launched at the beginning of March 2023 and will run until the charity has raised at least £25,000 to support the start-up of the café.

The £25,000 will support the initial café setup costs including:

  • refurbishment of the space
  • salary costs for local staff for the first 3 months
  • buying food to cook delicious, healthy dishes

Everyone who donates will be rewarded with a foodie-offer such as a free coffee at the café or an invite to a healthy lunch.

Healthy Living Platform also plans to run a number of Supper Clubs at the café space on weekday evenings, as part of its fundraising for the space, and will provide more details soon. Tickets will be priced at £15 and each week would have a different theme around food or cultural celebrations.

Healthy Living Platform already runs several food projects out of the Myatts Field North space, including:

Community Food Pantry – staffed by a team of local volunteers and visited by over 50 residents a week. The pantry offers low-cost food, including a choice of up to 10 fruit and vegetables with set prices from £2.50-£5

Low-cost Tuesday Lunch Club – with support from Lambeth Council, a pay-what-you-can healthy lunch offered to all the community – currently supporting 40 people a week with food and takeaway options.

Workshops for families from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds – learning to cook on a large-scale, cook healthy meals on a budget using limited cooking equipment and with give-aways including air-fryers and slow cookers.

Holiday Activities and Food – Healthy Living Platform is working with Pinnacle Housing and Protouch to deliver healthy cooked lunches and food activities for children on Free School Meals for 8 days during the Easter holidays.

*************************************

Quote from Sam Mason – Pinnacle Housing Association

 ‘Staffed by excellent local volunteers and backed up by expert staff, the pantry not only supports our community to access high-quality, low-cost food on their doorstep, but also gives us a centre of gravity around which to shape our community offer. It’s now hard to imagine the centre without them and we’re looking forward to expanding our activities with HLP in the coming months.’

Quote from local residents at Myatts Field North

‘Amazing community service – You get tea coffee and a nice warm place to sit and wait’

‘There are very hardworking staff they are very kind, helpful and welcoming’

‘It encouraged me to eat healthy. And the vegetables and fruits are fresh. It is very helpful to us’

7 March 2023

For more info:

www.healthylivingplatform.org

Instagram: @living_platform

Helen – Strategic Development helen.wiggins@healthylivingplatform.org

Or email: contactus@healthylivingplatform.org