The staff at Left Bank Leeds’ most recent initiative have been feeding the local community using a ‘pay as you feel’ system called ‘Plate Up!’.
Left Bank staff, Connor and Leah, recently launched a new initiative at the community hub that provides a warm dinner for anyone to benefit from. The chef and hospitality manager, Connor, has been cooking a 3-course dinner for the residents of Leeds to come and enjoy. The event runs alongside their Wednesday ‘Culture Club’ that encourages creativity and community spirit.
Although still in the early stages, the event has proved very popular among the community, with the places (operating on a first-come, first-served basis) filling up as soon as its door opens. The community centre hosts the event as a ‘pay as you feel system’, so it is accessible to anyone who would like to get stuck into some homemade vegetarian cuisine. At their first event, they received a donation from the charity ‘Fare Share’, however, the most recent one was self-funded with their herbs sourced from their community garden.
The event was set up after Leah and Connor decided to combine their respective passions for gardening and cooking and create an event that would serve the community accordingly. Leah said: “The initiative is there to feed the community, especially on cold nights.” It is entirely self-run by Left Bank Leeds, with the artwork for the event designed by local artist Leah Anderson (Instagram: @_leahandersonva).
The future of the event is a bright one, with Leah and Connor looking to expand the event to be able to cater to a larger crowd. They will soon be launching an appeal on their Instagram (@leftbankleeds) for volunteers to help and encourage anyone to get involved in any capacity they can.
If you are interested in getting involved in any initiatives hosted by Left Bank Leeds, they are available to contact via Instagram (@leftbankleeds) or email connor@leftbankleeds.org.