A social enterprise in Preston city centre is celebrating after overcoming a setback that nearly closed its doors for good.
AdvertisementFollowing a night of trouble in the city in January, all of The Larderâs windows were smashed but with the support of the local community, the future looks brighter for the enterprise, with a number of community projects and exciting events in the pipeline.
We spoke to Kay Johnson MBE, The Larderâs director, on the eve of the organisationâs third birthday to find out more.
âIt was so upsetting,â said Kay. âI was in bed and received a text to say âyouâve had all your windows smashedâ. Everything we do, we do from the heart and it felt like an attack on us.
âCertain things werenât covered by the insurance, for example the cost of boarding up and making safe all of the windows, securing the building, clean up costs and the loss of income from being closed. We had an excess of ÂŁ1,000 to pay. We run on a very tight budget, so this made things very difficult.
âThis wasnât the first time it has happened; a window has been smashed before and then just before Christmas someone broke a pane of glass in the door.â
The community rallied around, Rachel Amy Phoenix set up an online fundraiser, raising nearly ÂŁ1,500, local people donated via The Larderâs website and many people signed up to be Friends of The Larder.
âWe wanted to give something back to people,â said Kay. âSo, by encouraging people to sign up to Friends of The Larder, for just ÂŁ12 a year, they receive a free piece of cake a month when a drink is purchased, an exclusive guest list ticket to our meet the supplier and taster events, and priority booking and a 5 per cent discount on The Larder ticketed events.â
Kay is keen to help address the problem of anti-social behaviour in central Preston. The Larder was one of a number of businesses that were targeted in the attack on the night and the issue persists.
Read more: Operation Pavilion launched to combat anti-social behaviour in Preston
âThis is a problem we have in Preston,â said Kay. âIt has happened to other businesses more recently. I thought, âwhat can I do to make this situation better?â So, we are part of a collaboration of organisations, working with the police, discussing different ways, positive ways, of addressing this problem.
âWhat we, as The Larder, can offer is accredited training and non-accredited training and work experience for young people to give them something positive to focus on. If any organisations within Preston, who aren’t already involved in the discussions, would like to help, please do get in contact.â
The Larder is now in a position to replace the windows and move forward with an exciting array of events and projects.
âAny extra fundraising we have received goes straight back into funding our projects,â said Kay.
âWeâre getting ready to launch our Easter Kids in the Kitchen cooking programme, with online cooking classes. Families who are eligible for free school meals may apply for the programme and they will receive vouchers to exchange for ingredients to make the meals at Preston Market. They will be able to exchange their vouchers at Fresh nâ Fruity, Banana King, Pickles of Preston and Liveseyâs Butchers.
âFor the past year, weâve been hosting and supporting a range of community groups such as a sign language group, a carers group, a refugee womenâs group and a knitting group to tackle social isolation.
âJoey Afrin Black is starting The Knit and Purl Jam, which will run on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. Itâll be a fun, friendly yarnbombing group that is open to people whether they can crochet or not. Some people havenât been out of the house for a long time and weâre giving them the opportunity to meet, chat and make in a safe and welcoming space.
âStarting from Saturday 26 February, at 10am, weâll be holding Sustainability Saturdays once a month inspiring action through a series of Repair Cafes, clothes swaps, lectures, talks and skills shares. Weâre asking people what do they want to see, what would help them live more sustainably?
âWeâd love people to get involved, so please email The Larder if you think you have something to offer. Weâd love this project to go weekly.â
Since its inception, art and supporting local artists, musicians and creatives have been integral to The Larderâs vision. From the moment the project launched it was hosting art exhibitions, music and poetry nights.
During the pandemic, The Larder adapted and rather than hosting exhibitions inside the space, art and photography were exhibited in The Larderâs windows.
The venue has hosted exhibitions of work by Britainâs leading political artist Cold War Steve, as well as being involved in The Lancashire Photography Festival and exhibiting work by artist Shiryn Wynter, photographer Tony Worrall and artist Ava Jolliffe. The vibrant work of contemporary artist Iain H. Williams is currently on display until Wednesday 23 March.
Kay is keen to continue supporting local creatives.
âIâd like to get back to how it was before the pandemic, by providing a platform for local talent. Giving a space to artists, musicians, authors and poets to put events on. We have a DJ interested in running more music nights.
âThe money we raise within The Larder at these events is put back into the social enterprise to support our community initiatives.â
Indeed, it is The Larderâs community initiatives, combined with providing hundreds of freshly prepared meals to vulnerable people throughout the pandemic, improving cooking skills among young people and raising awareness of eating local and nutrition-packed produce, along with 25 years working to reduce food poverty, which saw Kay being recognised in the Queenâs Honours and awarded an MBE by Princess Anne at Windsor Castle in November 2021.
That is not all, The Larder has even more exciting news to share.
âDuring the pandemic, chef Nik Prescott came to volunteer with us and help out with our Cooking for the Community project,â said Kay. âWhen furlough finished, he went to work as a chef in Manchester. He is an excellent chef and has worked with all the top chefs in London and now he is coming to work at The Larder. We are really excited.â
The Larder will be launching their new menu at their third birthday party. Their next Supper Club event on Saturday 19 March has nearly sold out. They will continue with Supper Club events each month, as well as opening for takeaways, afternoon teas and catering outside events.
âI just want to say a very big thank you to everyone who has supported us, from our volunteers to people who have donated, to everyone who has signed up as a Friend of The Larder and to all of our well-wishers. We thought we were going to have to close but because of peopleâs kindness and generosity weâve been able to stay open.â
Read more: Fundraiser to help The Larder pay for new windows after vandals destroyed them
The Larder is located at 50 Lancaster Road in the city centre. The opening hours are currently Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, and Sunday 12pm to 4pm.
Contact info@larder.org.uk or follow The Larder on Facebook for more information.
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