Pay-as-you-feel cafe in Preston set to tackle poverty and waste

That’s the aim behind a new sustainable food hub and pay-as-you-feel cafe, due to open in the city centre.

Organisers want to raise £25,000 to kick start the project, designed to tackle poverty and food waste.

Nutritionist Kay Johnson, who works with disadvantaged communities in the UK and overseas, said: “It will be a sustainable food hub which will focus on trying to educate people about food.

“In order to get them in, the cafe will be like a hook and it will be educational for people as soon as they walk in the door. In order to target the people we need, we’re going to do it on a pay-as-you-feel basis, so it isn’t excluding anybody.

“If they want to volunteer and help, they can donate their time instead of money.”

Kay said the cafe would be able to sign-post people to other services.

She said the other main focus was around waste food, and said the project would be encouraging supermarkets, markets and food producers to donate edible food, within its use by date.

The project now aims to raise £25,000, and Kay said: “It’s a big amount but we’re going to have a go. If we can get this crowd funding page and some money coming in, we will be trying to get a venue and get a kitchen put in.

“We want to try to encourage other Preston organisations to support us by donating their time, it will all be recycling and giving people an opportunity to train.”

The project is a collaboration between The Larder (Lancashire and Region Dietary Education Resource) and the Preston Food Partnership. To donate, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-larder.