A BOOK of recipes made during lockdwon by local young people from The Pod charity has been launched.
Although nobody could have predicted the outcomes or how long lockdown would last The Pod team were prepared, and immediately moved from running weekly social groups to providing daily activities and interactions with children and young people left confused and bored at home.
The Pod closed facebook profile was a buzz of activity with daily challenges set by the team but also by young people growing in confidence as the weeks went by. Not unlike most homes, Pod young people were learning new skills and baking all sorts of creations and sharing their recipes with their peers. From the many photos of home cooking and weekly zoom conversations came the idea of producing a lockdown recipe book.
Nicki, Pod Plus leader, said, “Following months of planning, we are so pleased to finally have the book in our hands.
“The idea came from one of our young people and we knew straight away this was something we should find a way to do. It was important to all of us that the young people should have something positive to keep, so they would always remember that being in lockdown wasn’t all bad and was actually quite fun!’
The charity would like to thank local supporters Saputo, Rogers & Co, Eight Stoney Street and the Rye Bakery for sponsoring the project and to the Hunting Raven bookshop in town for selling the book on thePod’s behalf. The book is priced at £8 and all proceeds will support future activities run by the charity.
As weeks have turned into months, weekly online zoom meetings continue to be well supported, with four young people recently excited to check in from their European holidays.
Additionally the charity has partnered with Frome Town Rotary to produce a free family treasure hunt/quiz for all Frome families to enjoy, launched a new online parent talking café, organised a social distance picnic for families and is just about to distribute its sixth (and hopefully last!) round of boredom busting packs to young people, there are plans to reopen the projects in the coming weeks.
Sue Paxton, charity manager, said, “Our team have excelled and our amazing young people have proved just how resilient they can be… but let’s not forget, this is still a challenging time for all businesses and charities and it will continue to be an uphill climb funding our core costs and other projects so that we can continue with the fantastic work we are doing, thank you to all our supporters for your kind donations and words of encouragement, they really do help us to keep putting one foot in front of the other”.
The Pod charity provides social clubs in Frome for young people with additional needs aged between 10 to 30 years old, as well as the Zone for siblings, Young Carers. All the activities are driven by young people, support staff and volunteers and provide a safe and supportive space for young people to make friends. For more information telephone 07709 231536 or visit the website for further details: www.thepodcharity.org.uk
