At The Platform Cafe, we’re coming to the end of our Cost of Living Programme for this winter. It’s been great to have the opportunity to offer more support during tough times.
Our free meals scheme which has been going since 2021 was given a funding boost from The National Lottery and Lambeth Council so that we have been able to give away more free meals to groups and individuals.
Local groups such as Breaking Out of the Bubble (a peer support group for adults with learning difficulties) have enjoyed monthly meet-ups in the warm space of the cafe, plus a free lunch. And we were able to cater for our Winter Wassail in February providing warm bread, soup and hot drinks to all who came.
We have delivered free meals to the Loughborough Children’s Centre as well as to the Rastafarian Movement UK at Marcus Lipton, and have been handing out meals daily to those walking in for warm food.
We were happy to be able to run free cookery workshops for Carers4Carers. The group, led by experienced chef Iva from Nourishlab London, learnt simple bread-making skills as well as how to prepare easy, cheap and nutritious plant-based meals. Participants loved it! And we’re looking forward to running more in the future.
The programme culminated in the fantastic Book Garden Pop-up providing a warm space to grab a drink and a book or get involved in creative workshops, as well as work experience for young people.
