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Council leaves lovely taste at Trinity Winchester

Following a call to local businesses from Trinity Winchester for cooking teams to help staff the kitchens when their regular chef is away this month, Winchester City Council has responded with enthusiasm.

Inspired by a number of intrepid staff who offered their help for the first time in August last year, five teams have stepped forward, spanning Council departments and – for the first time – including a number of city councillors.

Heading the rota for the first session on Monday 13 February was the Mayor, Cllr Jane Rutter. Deputy Mayor, Cllr David McLean, will be co-ordinating would-be chefs for the final stint on Wednesday 22 February.

Trinity Winchester is a valued charity which provides a range of essential services for the homeless. Among these is the provision of a free, nutritious breakfast and hot lunch. Meals are cooked using ingredients that have been donated and which might otherwise go to waste: Sainsbury’s at Badger Farm make regular contributions. Winchester City Council has provided core funding for Trinity over many years, and has designated it an official partner organisation in view of the breadth, range and significance of its services for the Winchester district.

In order to turn out and cook, Council staff will use part of their allocation of ‘volunteering leave’, which gives three days per year for staff to provide practical help in local community organisations.

Cllr Guy Ashton, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Professional Services, said:  

I can think of few more useful ways for the Council to build on its existing relationship with Trinity, and I am delighted that our corporate volunteering policy has created this kind of opportunity. I would challenge any commercial agency to devise a day which does so much to build teams, exercise lateral thinking skills and encourage an agile mindset. These will benefit the Council – and our customers – as well as those who end up with a hot meal at the Trinity!”
Centre-users were appreciative of the ‘emergency cover’ being provided by the Council and other businesses in February.
One client at Trinity Winchester said: “Today’s lasagne is very good: are they professional chefs?


Sue McKenna, Operations Manager at Trinity Winchester, said:

With cooking shows all the rage on television these days, I like to think that Trinity is offering the chance for people to demonstrate their hidden talents. Making a hot meal for 50 out of fairly random ingredients, and for which there may not be a recipe, can be quite a stressful business. But we’ve seen teams reach the end of their stint with a real sense of satisfaction and a buzz of adrenaline. It’s a day we guarantee will be completely different from the usual 9 to 5 in the office.

Keen to be part of the wider team effort, new Leader Cllr Caroline Horrill and new Chief Executive Laura Taylor have already offered their services – along with other Cabinet colleagues and the Corporate Management Team – for a future rota slot in March.

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