Summer or winter, every Thursday since November 2020, the Take & Make stall of Kirkham Methodist Church in the Lancashire District is out at the entrance of the church. Under a gazebo, volunteers give fruits, veggies and non-perishables are available for anyone to take and make the meal of their choice.
The pandemic was raging and, due to the Church hall being linked to the preschool, they could not install the stall inside. So they decided to host Take & Make outside and bought the gazebo thanks to some funding from Methodist Women in Britain.
“Kirkham partnered with Wesley’s Larder at Church Road and they share the food they received from Tesco’s, Fareshare and other local suppliers. We have a partnership with the Coop, Lidl at Wharton and Aldi through the charity Neighbourly,” says Gillian, Senior Steward. No stone is left unturned to provide the community with food every week.
Anyone can come and take the food. “Our ethos is, and this is where it fits in with the Eco church, that the food would otherwise be thrown out. Using it prevents it from going into a landfill,” adds Gillian.
Having their gazebo on a Thursday afternoon is also a way to engage with young families as they pass by to get their children from the preschool and the school next door.
“It is serving a need and it is great having people come in and chat. It's been good for our church because we now feel as though we know our community much better,” says Gillian.
A new Warm Welcome Hub
In September 2022, the church opened a refurbished kitchen and accessible toilets to become a Warm Welcome Space also on Thursdays. They applied and received a grant each year from the Warm Welcome Spaces which covers the cost of the heating and the refreshment.
“We offer refreshments and biscuits, pastries when we can. We also have Wi-Fi and a couple of laptops for people to use. But what people seem to be enjoying the most is coming for a chat,” adds Gillian.
A local adult learning day centre has recently started coming to the Warm Welcome Hub every fortnight to get a cup of tea and a chat. “It’s a nice walk. We come in, socialize, have a drink, chat and see what's going on. It’s a very inviting environment, we feel welcome and it’s good to meet other community members,” explains one of the centre’s employees.
About 10 people from the church volunteered to run the store and serve the refreshments, with the schedule, it is about 2 of them every week. Everyone with different strengths, Pam loves being inside so she can sit and chat with people.
For Irene, it’s about reaching out to people and helping them: “I started helping at Take & Make and now I enjoy meeting people at the Warm Welcome Hub. It is great to come and get to know everybody!”