Toxteth Food Central Fire Recovery

Dear friends

We are very pleased to be writing to you with some great news.

Next weekend, two and a half years since the fire we are preparing to open our brand new community shop and café !

It has been quite a journey and we still have a few details to finish BUT we will be open next Friday 4th and Saturday 5th May as we softly launch our new café and ingredients shop !

As such an important part of the building’s recovery, we really hope that you will be able to join us over the weekend or very soon after !

Our opening times for the weekend are :
Friday 4th 8am – 6pm (breakfast served 8 – 10am, lunch served 12 – 2pm )
Saturday 5th 9am – 5 pm (breakfast served 9 – 11am, lunch served 12 – 3pm )

Our fabulous chef Poppy Huyton has cooked up a delicious menu of seasonal dishes and our shop will be stocked with lots of fresh and seasonal ingredients.

We will be opening Thursday – Saturday for the rest of May and are looking to extend our opening hours in June.

Also just to let you know this is just the start of our celebrations, we are planning to hold a big party which we will be inviting you to in July !

Hope to see you very soon

With best wishes and lots of love from


Becky
On behalf of the Squash Team xxxxx


The whole story ........ 

A group of local residents alongside community health organisation Squash Nutrition, have spent the last 18 months planning Toxteth Food Central - a pioneering, community-led, sustainable food hub for the benefit of everyone in the L8 neighbourhood of Liverpool.


We were successful in gaining a Social Investment Business grant and started building in July - and the beautiful timber frame structure began to take shape on Windsor Street. 


Loads of people stopped by every day and chatted about the building's progress and talked about what they would be able to do inside once it opened.


We got the steel roof (from Cardiff) on last week.....


But on Sunday 11th October, with only 8 weeks to completion, a raging fire ripped through and destroyed the building. 


It was so incredibly shocking. The police are investigating what appears to be arson, not accident.

We are really sad but are determined to carry on and rebuild our community dream! 


We are totally committed to completing our plans for a much needed and longed for community cafe, affordable fresh food shop, food garden and training kitchen to open in early 2016. This will also provide training and volunteering opportunities, local apprenticeships and jobs.

This is a setback for the whole neighbourhood.

We are overwhelmed by the response of the local and wider community who have sent hundreds of messages of support and offered us their help. People have brought us pies, curry, fruit, cakes and despite the devastation, the community design team feels very loved and supported. Thankyou.


Many people have asked if they can contribute financially – so this is why we have set up this Go Fund It page. Whatever you can spare will be hugely appreciated by so many people.

We know we will need to find increased funds to keep the building project on track – and don’t yet know the full extent needed but these will include:

-          Demolition/site clearance
-          Additional security whilst we rebuild
-          Legal costs
-          Increased insurance premiums
-          Planting fruit trees at the front of the site       (scorched at front)
-          New community information signs (melted in blaze)

We will be posting updates on facebook and twitter – and please come along and meet us at our next community  cafe at the Grapes Community Food Garden, next door to Toxteth TV, Windsor Street
12-2pm on Friday 6th November.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and please help us spread the word by sharing this however you can.
We really, really appreciate it.

www.squashnutrition.org

https://www.facebook.com/squashnutrition

@squashnutrition