Little Chefs, Big Chefs CIC, a project which started life as a community pantry, based in a parish hall, is expanding after it moved into its own premises.
The project was established to help people in the Bishop Auckland area make better food choices, by offering discounted food hampers and cookery courses.
Lease
It soon became so important to the community that it outgrew its base, in St Helen’s Parish Centre, and needed a home of its own, where it could increase its support services and activities.
It was recently able to make the move and launched the LCBC Community Hub, after securing a 25-year lease for believe housing’s former community room in Selby Close, St Helen Auckland.
The County Durham-based housing association has supported the project from its early days, with a £9,000 grant in March 2020 to set up a community pantry.
Covid
Volunteers took surplus produce, donated by supermarkets and the Auckland Project, to make up discounted food hampers and run cookery courses.
But within weeks, the Covid pandemic hit.
The team quickly adapted and, with the support of believe housing, began to offer emergency food provision to those most in need during the pandemic.
Eventually the eco-friendly community pantry and cookery lessons were able to resume, and they have gone from strength to strength.
Now believe housing, which manages 18,200 affordable homes across County Durham, has handed over the keys to the former Selby Close community room.
It also awarded £19,024 for work to refurbish the Hub, which has a community room, kitchen, toilets and storage space.
The extra space allows the LCBC Community Hub to host an Eco Market on Mondays and Thursdays, cookery workshops for all ages, social and gardening activities and it will launch new events based on local need.
Volunteers can offer access to laptops and a printer, signpost people to other useful groups and support services and help people build resilience.
Support
Joanne Norman, Community Investment Coordinator at believe housing, said: “We’re proud to have supported this group on its journey, starting with that first grant to get the brilliant eco-friendly community pantry up and running, through the pandemic, and now in one of our buildings.
“LCBC has encouraged people to think about what they eat, diverted lots of food waste from landfill, supported the community and many believe housing customers.
“We want our grants to make a real difference.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
