The Larder

The Larder joins two other organisations in the shortlist for SURF Awards in the Support Youth Employability category. We are honoured to be joined by Eat, Sleep, Ride CIC and Move On: Employability Fund in our category.

SURF’s annual awards process is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Government and is open to all community regeneration projects in Scotland. These awards recognise and reward best practice and innovation in community regeneration; promote and disseminate best practice as well as highlighting the role that regeneration has in improving the wellbeing of individuals and communities in Scotland.

We have been chosen as our services successfully support people into employment and make a valuable contribution to the regeneration of places with social and economic challenges. Our projects remove barriers for young people and support those from excluded groups into employment, training or education. Despite the additional barriers that Covid-19 brought, we continued to support and remained dynamic and innovative in our responses.

For example, Mirhan joined The Larder as a trainee, became a member of staff, won the SDS Hospitality Level 5 apprentice of the year before moving on to become a Commis Chef at one of Edinburgh’s top restaurants. Mirhan said: “The Larder became my family and supported me until I was able to go out on my own”.

We believe in people and their ability to reach their full potential given the right time, space and support. We understand that trauma and circumstance can influence behaviour and attitudes, so provide wrap around support for every young person that needs it. Since our establishment, The Larder has supported over 1000 young people through our training programmes with 85% gaining qualifications, 73% moving into a positive destination and 100% feeling more confident.

Angela Moohan, CEO, The Larder said: “Being shortlisted for the Surf Awards is an amazing achievement for the Larder and the team, this recognition provides tangible creditability of the amazing work around employability that goes on and providing our young people pathways to positive destinations to achieve fulfilling long term employment. This nomination will allow The Larder to engage with more potential industries and partners to increase the range of opportunities that we can offer in the future while increasing the profile of the amazing work that goes on by an incredibly dedicated team.”

Garry Walker, Training Manager, The Larder said: “Our team are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for this Award. The past 18 months has been hard for everyone, but even more so for young people trying to enter the job market at an exceptionally competitive time. It has been a real team effort, not only to move delivery online but to continue engaging with local employers and supporting both ourselves and our youth people’s health and wellbeing. We are truly honoured to be recognised for this effort!”

To find out more about The Larder’s services, you can head to our social media pages @LarderTraining. You can also check out the other shortlisted organisations by heading to https://www.surf.scot/surf-awards/

The Larder joins three other organisations in the shortlist for Living Wage Scotland Newcomer Award. We are honoured to be joined by Behind the Scenes VA Ltd, Passion 4 Social and The Portobello Bookshop in our category.

The Living Wage Scotland Awards are back again for another year to celebrate the achievements of fantastic Living Wage accredited employers. The Newcomer Award celebrates employers who have done something that stands out to celebrate their accreditation, have taken part in an activity or promoted or supported the Living Wage movement.

Since our accreditation in May, we have not only ensured that our lowest paid staff received the Living Wage, but provided an average pay increase for all staff of 16%. We created a video to promote our success and encourage other businesses to do the same, watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il19XnHLbVg. We developed case studies that can be used later in the year to continue our promotion and we shared the news across all social media channels and via local and national partners. We also spread the word, that in the middle of a global pandemic we were able to reward all of staff with a fair wage for a hard day’s work.

Angela Moohan, CEO, The Larder said: “Implementing the Living Wage has been an aspiration of our organisation for many years. We are extremely proud to have joined the Living Wage movement and are delighted to share our journey with others. We encourage our fellow employers to do the same to help create more dignified, supportive and respectful places to work across Scotland.”

Laura Gardiner, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that The Larder has joined the movement of over 7,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all our staff earn enough to live on.

“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Bank of Scotland, Beatson Cancer Charity, Mackie’s of Scotland and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like The Larder, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."

You can check out the other shortlisted organisations by heading to https://scottishlivingwage.org/lws-awards/

The Larder’s food poverty project, Catalyst Kitchen, has reached 100,000 meals. The project, designed in response to Covid-19 restrictions, expected to support 300 people in one year, has now served over 100,000 meals supporting over 700 people.

Catalyst Kitchen initially began in December 2019 as a weekly pop-up dining service to support those experiencing food insecurity. These experiences were created as a social event for the community where you could come along, feel welcomed and gain support where needed. This project aimed to give people a sense of control, to be able to take part in community life, to feel nourished and to feel listened to as well as to disrupt the national answer to food insecurity, foodbanks.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020 and face-to-face dining experiences were no longer able to be held we quickly pivoted services to the delivery of a food lifeline; launched 3^rd of April 2020. The pandemic resulted in a 45% increase in demand for foodbanks and unemployment rose by 97% in West Lothian. We knew the need for our services would be needed now more than ever.

Food made by The Larder chefs, and where possible, supported by young people in training is distributed by a team of volunteers on a weekly basis either directly to beneficiaries’ doors or to local pick-up points based in partnership organisations. The meal delivery has helped our beneficiaries feel happier, less stressed, less isolated and has improved their health and well-being. Our volunteers have increased their personal skills, confidence and have reduced isolation in a time of global isolation.

Angela Moohan, CEO, The Larder said: “It’s not something we celebrate, that we’re having to provide meals to people, but what we are is proud of the fact that we are able to come together, as a team, and deliver that number of meals to people who really needed them at a time of global crisis”

Homeless Beneficiary [Anonymous] said: “Being able to have that regular meal once a day, keeping you in a routine; it just makes your day a little bit easier”.

Suzanne Muir, Tenancy Sustainment Officer, West Lothian Council said: [The Larder] have all been fantastic supporting the young people in West Lothian. They have ensured young people were not left with no food either while staying in a hotel or in their own tenancy. [Their] support has really been invaluable and I can’t imagine how much harder things would have been for the young people if your service was not available.

As restrictions lessen, Catalyst Kitchen will be entering a new phase of provision. The need for support is still evident and if anything, COVID-19 shone a light on an existing issue among our communities.

To ensure we can continue our valuable service, we are seeking the support of the public. As funding comes to an end, many people experiencing hunger will be left without food. If you are in the position to support this project, please head to www.thelarder.org to make a donation and check out our video to learn more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsCFdGz7xhg