Cooking project at Lytham's Park View 4U helps people cope with rising cost of living

The Flame Academy cooking project offered free places to those most likely to be impacted by the sharp hike in the piece of food and bills.

Park View 4U staff and volunteers delivered four weekly sessions of community outdoor cooking which gave participants the opportunity to eat a hearty lunch, share recipes, develop cooking skills and forge new friendships.

Rachel Harrison, Park View 4U’s wellbeing officer, said: “As the cost of food, heating and transport have rocketed, we have become aware that people’s feelings of anxiety and hopelessness have also increased.

"As a community, we pulled together during the pandemic, and we believed we could do so again for the cost-of-living crisis.

"The response to the sessions has been wonderful and we have had requests to run similar sessions on a regular basis.

"We firmly believe that being together, sharing food whilst spending time in nature strengthens our resilience as a community.

"The project has really demonstrated that we can take care of our mental health while giving people the tools to look after their physical health.

"We are very grateful to project funders Assura plc Community and Lancashire Community Fund for their support.”

One participant in the project said that cooking and eating together around a campfire among the trees made them feel like they were living “off grid”, leaving them free to enjoy nature and take a breather from everyday stresses.

Those who took part enjoyed feeling warm and comfortable under the canopy while watching the flickering flames of the fire.

Over the course of the Flame Project, everyone was encouraged to swap ideas for creating delicious, budget-friendly meals, while enjoying such tasty treats as campfire pizza, vegetable stew, sweetcorn fritters and Ukrainian fruit cake baked with locally-foraged apples.

Some of the participants have already signed up to other community activities at the QEII Park View Playing Fields, such as the weekly health walk and crochet group.

Details about what Park View 4U has to offer are at www.parkview4u.org.uk