UCLan Graduate Intern Blaine Walsh, UCLan Enterprise Manager Sally Bate, founder of Detroit Soup Amy Kaherl and Anne Newman, UCLan Enterprise Development Manager.

An idea which helps fund community projects in America is making its way to Preston.

Detroit Soup sees attendees at events give a small donation as they receive a bowl of soup while they listen to ideas to help the community.

Those pitching have four minutes to explain their big idea and during the past five years £63,000 has been dished out in the American city.

Now a manager at the University of Central Lancashire wants to kick-start the idea of a ‘Preston Soup’.

Sally Bate, enterprise manager, said: Essentially we want to work with the local community to create an environment where we can swap ideas and create a sense of neighbourhood pride by bringing people together with a shared goal of making Preston better.”

“There is no set remit for project pitches which may cover the arts, urban agriculture, social justice, social entrepreneurs, education, technology and more. Successful examples from Detroit Soup range from a new sign for a community centre to a mobile tool lending library on wheels to the promotion of a kids’ summer camp teaching ways to live, eat, and be healthy.”

Preston’s Soup is to begin at the Dice and Donuts cafe, in Butler Street, on Wednesday 24 February.

The founder of Detroit Soup, Amy Kaherl, visited Preston to speak about how the idea works.

It works by giving power back to the local people and finding solutions together. Our Soup meetings attract people from many different backgrounds which makes for a really creative environment and I’m sure Preston will experience the same.

“We’ve seen some very successful projects come out of Soup, namely the Empowerment Plan. This is a not-for-profit organisation which makes coats which convert into sleeping bags for homeless people so it’s exciting to know that setting up initiatives like this can make a big difference to a city.”

The suggested donation for the Preston Soup is £3.50 and anyone wanting to submit a pitch needs to email info@prestonsoup.org by Wednesday 17 February.

Will you be going to the Preston Soup? Will you be pitching an idea? Let us know in the comments below