The Lord Dean visited the Barmulloch Community Development Company (BCDC) on 27th March to experience their community meals programme, meeting with Chief Executive, Martin McElroy, alongside service users. 

Mr. McElroy said, “We were delighted to host the Lord Dean at our Thursday Meet & Eat social in Barmulloch, and to show him first hand the work that we do to support people in our local community. Thanks to the support of the Merchants House, we can provide a nutritious meal in a relaxed setting where people have the chance to socialise with each other. The grant we received is already having a huge impact helping to reduce social isolation, increase participation by removing cost as a barrier, and improving the nutritional quality of food available.”

The project is a direct response to a need in one of the most deprived communities in Scotland. Following Covid, BCDC surveyed local people to see what types of activities they wanted them to provide, with food provision ranking the highest. With no local food pantry, people were relying on deliveries or having to travel to other locations. Now, anyone can drop in to Meet & Eat and get a healthy meal. If they are unable to stay for something to eat, prepared recipe cards and ingredient packs are available to take home. The group runs until late afternoon, meaning that families can also benefit from the service after school. 

The Meet & Eat group is expected to provide meals for 50 people a week, and meal packs for 30 families per week. To further reduce social isolation, those attending are encouraged to participate in other activities on offer, and are also signposted to other services if they require further support. 

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