Celebrity lunches served up at Islington summer holiday project
Children attending a summer holiday project in Islington were treated to a lunchtime feast prepared by celebrity chefs Melissa Hemsley and Melek Erdal with a little help from Walking Dead actor David Morrissey.
The event, organised by UK food charity, the Felix Project and Islington’s St Peter’s Project was held at The Arc Centre to mark the beginning of a programme that will run throughout the summer holidays.
The Felix Project is a London-based charity that rescues good, nutritious food that cannot be sold and would otherwise go to waste. Over the summer they will deliver free food to 63 holiday programmes across the capital.
Anne Elkins, Schools Programme Manager at The Felix Project said: “Holiday programmes provide spaces for children to play, learn new skills and share meals. Good food and exercise are essential for health and help improve social inclusion and well-being too. For families facing the challenge of finding money to cater another meal while children are off school for six weeks, they can also make the difference between having healthy food to eat and skipping meals.”
Local resident Sue Richards, chair of the trustees of St Peter’s Children and Young People’s Activities Group Summer 2019 Project said: “We have lots planned over the summer, for the children to have fun, learn new skills and have a good meal in the middle of the day. The children loved the lunch Melissa prepared and it was a real education for them about how to avoid wasting good food.
“Gill, a Felix volunteer taught them about best before dates and showed them food that looked perfect and food that looked less than perfect but was just as tasty. The children were processing all of this information and that the food they had enjoyed today was food that supermarkets can’t sell. It’s a real education that The Felix Project delivered today.”
Melissa Hemsley added: “They were telling each other ‘Let’s not waste that, that will be delicious tomorrow’ or ‘I’d eat that cold’. They really saw the care we put into the food, and that it tastes really good too.”
Fabio Bonomo, Senior Waste Prevention Officer at North London Waste Authority said: “It was great to hear the children talking about the importance of using food properly to stop food waste, particularly when they offered their ideas around food storage.
This summer, the Felix Project is partnering with Islington Council to deliver nutritious lunches to children and young people in adventure playgrounds, as part of the council’s Lunch Bunch programme.
Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families said: “We are proud of our Lunch Bunch programme which provides young people aged 3-19 the chance to enjoy a whole range of free activities throughout the summer holidays in our adventure playgrounds, libraries and other venues, all with a free delicious and healthy lunch.”
The Felix Project’s invaluable work delivering free food to holiday programmes wouldn’t happen without the commitment and passion of incredible volunteers. As the number of holiday programmes, primary schools and charities deliver to continues to grow, there is a greater need for more volunteers to help. There are opportunities for volunteer drivers, co-drivers, warehouse assistants, walkers and cyclists to collect, sort and deliver food. Volunteering at The Felix Project is fun, rewarding, flexible. To get involved, register your interest here: http://www.thefelixproject.org/help-us/volunteer/
Notes to editors:
Contact: [email protected] 07516 730 004
St Peter’s Children and Young People's Activities Group Summer 2019 Project
A new group of people living in the St Peter's Ward of Islington want to make sure that every child in the area has a chance to do fun and exciting things over the summer. Their first summer project is for children aged 9 - 1 to do cooking, gardening, sport, life-saving lessons, art and music.
Melissa Hemsley is a cook, writer and champion of nourishing and sustainable food. In January 2018, Melissa’s first solo book, ‘Eat Happy’ was published to great critical acclaim. Her fourth cookbook; “EAT GREEN: Everyday flexitarian recipes to shop smart, waste less and help make a difference will be out in January 2020 . Melissa’s passion for sustainability is also explored in her fortnightly column for Vogue called ‘Eat, Think, Grow’, where she shares practical ideas and easy tips on how to make more of a positive impact on the planet. This Autumn, Melissa embarks on the first of her series of The Sustainability Sessions; informative, engaging and optimistic live panel events to help those who want to leave a more positive footprint and embrace sustainability in all its many guises. Guest speakers include Anita Rani, Bryony Gordon, Fearne Cotton and Matt Haig.
Link:www.thefound.co.uk/melissa-hemsley
David Morrissey, Walking Dead actor, currently starring in The End of History at the Royal Court till mid-August regularly volunteers with The Felix Project. As a volunteer driver, he helps tackle food poverty and food waste, collecting food from suppliers, and delivering food to charities. As a well-known actor, David has a big following on social media and his tweets about volunteering spread the word which helps The Felix Project recruit new volunteers and deliver more good food to good causes.
The Felix Project rescue good food that cannot be sold and would otherwise go to
waste. This is high-quality and nutritious, including a high proportion of fresh fruit
and vegetables, baked goods, salads, meat and fish. They collect or receive food from 165 suppliers, including supermarkets, wholesalers, farms, restaurants and delis. This year, The Felix Project will deliver food to more than 280 London charities and primary schools - enough to make almost 5,000,000 meals.
Link:www.thefelixproject.org
Islington Council provides a huge summer activities programme, that includes adventure playgrounds, interactive exhibitions, fun library sessions and more. Lunch Bunch sessions include a free and healthy lunch alongside fun play activities.
Link:www.islington.gov.uk/lunchbrunch
North London Waste Authority (NLWA) is a waste disposal authority for Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest. Preventing waste is a key priority for NLWA – it is better for the environment, reduces society’s consumption of resources and saves on the costs of waste disposal. NLWA in partnership with the seven north London boroughs took forward a major waste prevention programme of activity to encourage residents to waste less, and to assist them in behaviour changes to achieve this aim. Reducing the amount of food waste produced in the area is a focal area of the programme; since 2012 NLWA has been running face-to-face outreach activity across north London, which includes information stalls, presentations and workshops. NLWA provide north London residents with practical tips and advice on how to reduce their food waste, help the environment and save money on food purchases.
Link:www.nlwa.gov.uk