A community hub is under threat. The Larder, in central Preston, is home to a number of community groups, as well operating as a popular exhibition and meeting space.

Last year, The Larder’s founder Kay Johnson MBE was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and now needs to focus on her recovery. Kay and The Larder’s volunteers hope that the work at the community hub can continue. The plan is to form a multi-stakeholder cooperative to take over the space and they are looking for people to get involved as directors or members of a new entity which will be a community food and arts hub.

After 25 years working to reduce food poverty, Kay Johnson was awarded an MBE in November 2021. Kay will be stepping away from The Larder completely and hopes that the venue can continue to provide a meeting place for community groups, an exhibition space for local artists, and for community cooking programmes to continue.

“We’re delighted to have had people responding to the call out already,” said Kay. “We’re particularly interested in hearing from people who are interested in working with community groups and any area of arts and crafts. We would like to build on what we already have. So, at the moment, the space operates as a meeting place for knitting groups, writers’ groups, art exhibitions, and cooking classes.”

A meeting of interested parties will take place at The Larder, 50 Lancaster Road, Preston on Sunday 16 July at 1pm. Email The Larder if you would like to attend info@larder.org.uk.

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines