These Christmas meals will bring cheer to thousands of people in need
Published: Monday, 16 November, 2020
Three thousand Christmas meals for people in need, including those who are self-isolating, will be created this year thanks to the social enterprise The Long Table with support from the Stroud District Council.
The arrangement came about when SDC offered a licence to use the kitchen at the council-owned pub The Ship Inn in Brimscombe, when it became vacant and before the lease is remarketed.
Tom Herbert, founder member of the Long Table said: “Our existing kitchen at Brimscombe Port is already full to capacity, creating meals for our twelve Freezers of Love which are situated in communities across the district.
“Having the additional kitchen at the Ship Inn means we can now create 3,000 Christmas dinners over the next few weeks that will be delicious, made from locally sourced ingredients where possible, frozen then delivered to community projects to bring a Long Table festive sparkle to communities during the pandemic.”
The meals will be made available to the Stroud and District Food Bank, patients in the Longfield Trust and their carers, churches will distribute meals to those in need within their parishes, and the remainder will be placed in the Long Table’s Freezers of Love.
Tom added “The Long Table is about bringing people together around food, which is more challenging, but more necessary than ever right now. We hope these meals will bring some comfort and joy this Christmas.”
Cllr Martin Whiteside, Stroud district ward councillor for Thrupp and Chair of the Brimscombe Port project board said: "I am delighted to see the District Council helping in a small way the wonderful work being done by the Long Table in making Christmas a special time for those hardest hit by the current crisis".
Cllr Mattie Ross, Stroud District Council’s lead member for community support added: “The Long Table is providing an important service to local people and we’re proud to be able to support them in this way.”