A summer activity club for families in the South Lakes has been given a boost thanks to the Cumberland Building Society.
Grange-over-Sands Community Foodshare’s base on the town’s Main Street hosted the first of its holiday clubs on Saturday, offering activities and a vegetarian lunch.
The project, which aims to divert waste food from landfill and support those in poverty, was started by mother and daughter team Rahina and Genevieve Borthwick.
And Rahina believes clubs such as theirs do more than just combat food poverty.
She said: “It’s a simple way of taking environmental action and bringing people together, tackling poverty of mind, body and spirit.
“We look at everything through a green lens putting environmental impact at the forefront of our actions – for example , all the renovations to our building were upcycled, recycled or donated wherever possible.
“Our summer activity club is a place for parents, grandparents, carers and their families to connect over a tasty vegetarian lunch after a busy morning playing games or learning circus skills or creating something fantastic at the arts activity session that everyone can enjoy.”
Rahina was inspired to create the project having struggled with her own health and making ends meet when Genevieve was growing up. That real life experience of poverty has helped set up over 20 food clubs across the South Lakes from Walney to Kirkby Lonsdale.
Since it was formed in 2020 during the pandemic, the project has grown and now has four members of staff and a core team of over 25 dedicated volunteers.
The summer holiday activities, which run every Saturday during August, offer a choice of activities on a pay what you can basis, with a suggested donation of £5 for those who can afford it.
The centre also offers regular food shares, with a particular focus over the summer on those who have children to feed during the school holidays.
The support from Cumberland will free up money for the project previously spent on buying surplus food from the FareShare network, which will now be spent on community development and supporting those most in need.
Every month Rahina and the team support at least one person in crisis – including those escaping domestic violence – by providing them with food initially and helping them to set up their new homes, often at a cost of around £400 per household.
The Cumberland has pledged £250,000 to help combat food poverty in the region this year as part of its Kinder Kind of Kitchens initiative, and the Grange-over-Sands Community Foodshare is one the projects benefiting.
The donation comes amid warnings that charities are facing a perfect storm of rising demand combined with pressures on the supply of surplus food.
Grange resident and Cumberland customer services assistant Phill Gregory visited the project to volunteer. He said: “It has been very rewarding to spend time here and help Rahina and her team. They are doing such important things for the community who in some cases struggle to make ends meet.
“It is good to see young families here with their children and there is a great community feel around the whole project. I have only recently started work with The Cumberland in the Windermere branch, but I’m proud to see how much the Kinder Kind of Kitchens initiative is helping people here. I’ll come back to volunteer again.”
Among those taking advantage of the new playscheme were parents Willow Hunter and Liberty Bradley whose daughter Grace was enjoying herself in a play tent.
“We have only recently moved to Grange for a council house and it is so nice to have somewhere to come where Grace has something to do on a rainy day and we can meet new people,” said Willow.
