Supporting East Staffs Family Support Services

President David describes the Kitchen Project:

Burton Rotary Club has combined with East Staffs Family Support Services (ESFSS) to teach appropriate people basic cooking and gardening skills.   These are people who frequently use food banks but lack the skills of basic cooking.   ESFSS are currently working with about 120 local families, frequently extended families, to teach basic home hygiene skills and basic cooking skills.    The Rotary Club is already working with ESFSS to improve home hygiene.    Previously, cooking education took place at individual family homes but it was agreed that is would be more efficient if it could be done at a central locality with several people being taught simultaneously.   ESFSS work out of a property in the grounds of Abbot Beyne School.   The proposal was to refurbish a kitchen and conservatory in this property in order to provide a teaching facility.    There is also a garden which will be used as a teaching aid.

The total cost of the project was £13000 of which Burton on Trent Rotary Club provided £6500 and East Midlands Rail Community Fund £6500.    In the kitchen the units were replaced, an electric cooker and hood, and dish washer installed, floor covering replaced and the room was re-decorated.    The conservatory was turned into a food preparation room.   To do this the windows and glazed roof were replaced since the structure leaked.   Flooring was replaced as part of the kitchen flooring.   The room was re-decorated.   A food preparation table was installed.    The bulk of all of this work was done by a building contractor.   Re-decoration was done by volunteers.   

The facility is now operational.