A POP-UP community cafe that has served free, nutritious three-course meals to thousands of people is to be replicated in other UK cities.
More than 5,000 people have been fed over the past two years at the vegetarian cafe, run by the Woodlands Community Development Trust in Glasgow.
Around 65 people are welcomed into the centre every Monday evening for food, company, cookery demonstrations and sometimes even a free music lesson.
No referrals, vouchers or proof of poverty is required and no-one is turned away. Similar cafes have now been launched in other parts of the city and a charity from Manchester is now in talks with the Trust about replicating the scheme.
Most of the ingredients for the cafe's meals are sourced from a nearby community garden, run by the Trust, where around 50 local residents have allotments.
Other food is sourced from restaurants or supermarkets which might be otherwise be destined for the skip.
Tim Cowan, manager of the Woodland Community Trust, said: “We have been working in the community for a number of years and the cafe has grown out of our community garden.
“People really compliment it for being healthy, it’s something different from a foodbank where people go in and collect their food parcels and go away.
“A lot of the food that is donated isn’t particularly healthy or environmentally friendly."
The majority of staff who turn up every week at the Fred Paton Centre off Great Western Road are volunteers. Many started out as diners.
Attendance levels have doubled in the last year simply through word of mouth.
The Trust is now hoping to expand with a lunchtime service aimed at families if they can secure enough funding.
Mr Cowan said: “What we didn’t expect when we started out was how strongly people would benefit from the social interaction. If you look in the kitchen there is a real diverse mix of people.
“We get people who are lonely, people who are isolated, the cafe is the only time during the week where they can sit down and share a meal.
“You might have people who are skint, either in or out of work or having problems with their benefits.
“We also have quite a high number of asylum seekers and refugees and people who are disabled or carers or have mental health issues.
“I think two of the main strengths of the cafe is that we don’t have any referral criteria or paperwork or buracracy so people can just turn up and then also we have a very active pool of volunteers who we train and support."
The cafe receives some funding from the National Lottery and the Scottish Government to fund two part-time posts and to run a volunteer training programme.
Jan McDonald, 58, takes two buses every week from her home in Garscadden to attend the cafe with her son Adam and granddaughters Millie, 6 and Taylor, 10.
She said: “Adam has additional support needs and I’m his full-time carer and it’s a great break for me.
“It’s really good for the girls because it’s giving them a bigger choice of food. The food is delicious and they are so kind. I can sit with my friends and relax.
“The recipes are good and I think it encourages you to eat healthier.”
Malcolm McDougal, 47, from Maryhill, who volunteers in the kitchen, said: “I wasn’t really doing anything before this.
“I can now make soup for 60-70 people. A lot of the veg we use, I didn’t know it existed.
“It has opened my eyes up to something really positive.”
Diners also have access to free piano lessons from music teacher and volunteer, Grainne Rooney.
She said: “We did an exercise where we asked people to write their thoughts about the cafe on post-it notes and we wrote a song.
“Of course everyone said the food was good but the main thing that was commented on was the atmosphere, the social side.
“One person said ‘I don’t feel normal outside but I feel normal in here.’”
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