Food, glorious food!

Yes – it’s school holiday time again!

For exasperated parents, it probably only seems a few days since it was half-term, or there were teachers’ strikes to cover, and it maybe doesn’t even feel that long since Christmas.  For our youthworkers, that Christmas break seems an age ago, and the upcoming Easter holidays provide little respite, although they are an opportunity to deliver some different types of session.

Normally in Easter holiday youthwork sessions, food has a role to play, and hunts for hollow ovoid chocolates are still very much on the cards this year.  In addition to this, The Door has also managed to get some funding through the government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, which is designed to help feed young people who receive free school meals in term time.

In fact our Youthwork Team have been gearing up for food provision since last Autumn – acquiring pots, pans and utensils and brushing up their food hygiene certificates – and have been delivering hot meals freshly-cooked in the youth centres for Food Fridays at Stonehouse and Monday Munch at Cam.  We’re very grateful to the respective councils who have funded us to do this as part of their response to the cost of living crisis, and these sessions have proved to be very popular, with 38 young people at Food Friday last week.  HAF sessions will also be running in Stroud and Dursley this Easter.

Some of you who may remember “The Door Tries…” mince pie-making competition video from the 2020 pre-Christmas lockdown will be glad to know that youthworkers have since been extending their culinary skills to produce some ‘amazing taste experiences’ (a vegetarian lasagne got particularly rave reviews) and get young people involved in the cooking process.  They will also be delivering HAF activities in the summer and Christmas holidays, so food is very much on the menu for our youthworkers in 2023.