Many small towns are lamenting the loss of their community center. Whether it was a pub, bank, post office or GP surgery, these places are disappearing from our high streets all too quickly.
But one town in south-east Cornwall has reinvented its center – and it’s one that’s fitting for a compassionate community that looks to the future as much as it mourns the past.
What started purely as an information center for the people of Saltash first turned into a gift shop. But it snowballed first in an innovative scheme to share food that would otherwise go to waste, and then in a series of initiatives that make up Community Enterprises PL12 (CEPL12).
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The Community Interest Company not only helps to feed the city’s residents and prevent food waste, but also strives to prevent anyone from feeling isolated by providing a warm place to meet, transport and social activities, staffed by friendly volunteers.
Although CEPL12 was created before the pandemic, it was Covid that really established the non-profit initiative as a hub for the Saltash community. Since opening two years ago, the kitchen has exceeded the expectations of the passionate group of volunteers who dreamed up the idea. It has hundreds of visitors every week and serves dozens of meals.
But it is the ability to provide food for the soul that really motivates the volunteer directors and dozens of other helpers who are now part of the organization.
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Community kitchen manager Chris Cook said his Fore Street home was originally a cafe which closed suddenly before the pandemic. CEPL12 saw an opportunity to use the premises as a community kitchen, to use up surplus food and provide a place where people could not only go to eat, but also learn how to cook healthy and economical meals themselves.
Once the premises for the project were secured, a massive community effort began. Chris said: “The whole place has been decorated thanks to donations from volunteers. Weatherheads, a local shop fitting firm, did their part for free with the help of Hubbub and The Co-Op. Companies such as HBH Woolacott were then approached who continue to assist in providing the necessary electrical equipment.
Now The Kitchen offers meals to all comers three days a week, as well as catering for community groups who use the centre. It hosts cooking classes and even caters for community functions while developing its ethos of collaboration, encouraging new ideas and emphasizing learning life skills.
Chris said people were sometimes reluctant to walk through The Kitchen’s doors at first because they felt it wasn’t for everyone. Many also don’t realize that it could be the lifeline they need; not only for a warm meal, but also to establish friendships and regain self-confidence.
He said: “There was a homeless man who had suffered a family tragedy which caused him to split up with his wife. He was a company executive but lost his job and was living on the streets. We put him in touch with our social prescriber who works from there and who helped him find accommodation. How he now has a new job and life and says he’s convinced we saved him.
The menu of the kitchen is constantly changing depending on the available ingredients. One day they could have an Italian theme, the next Indian or plain Cornish, depending on what was available and fresh. Volunteers also bake dozens of homemade cakes from donated ingredients to go with hot drinks.
CEPL12 is run by a board of directors with more than 120 volunteers, 1,200 members and only three paid employees – kitchen and operations managers and a cleaner.
Melanie Cowie Smith, its director of volunteer public relations, said: The Community Fridge & Larder was founded in 2019 and was born from the idea of one of CEPL12’s volunteers, Sho Frank, who wanted to reduce food waste.
“We receive donations of food that cannot be sold and distribute it from a stand outside The Kitchen and through a mobile pantry that delivers to families in need who cannot travel downtown.
It’s become an essential service with around 70 people using it every day, it’s open but it’s not a food bank – anyone and everyone is welcome to collect food and stop it being wasted.”
The community shop, two doors down from The Kitchen, not only sells items made by local artists, makers and charities, but also acts as CEPL12’s administrative headquarters. It is also the unofficial tourist information center for Saltash with a large notice board displaying social events and city bus trips and tickets for local festival events.
CEPL12 directors say they are always looking at their next “big thing” and developing ways to make Saltash a dementia-friendly champion.
Melanie said: “We already run Memory Box (formerly Dementia Voice) to provide support and activities for people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, particularly dementia.
But our team is working with Saltash Council to ensure the area becomes more dementia friendly. Our aim is to create a dementia-friendly environment in the PL12 area and promote the idea that it is possible to live well with this disease.”
CEPL12 hosts a range of events throughout the week which can be found on their website, from mental health support groups to eco craft workshops.
All services are free, but donations are welcome to support their continued provision.
To find out more about CEPL12 visit https://www.cepl12.co.uk
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