Overview:
In 2018, WMCO began a project of refurbishment of the Hilltop Community Centre. Phases 4 & 5 of the refurbishment project is the last major phase which will involve improving and extending the outdated and undersized community kitchen within Hilltop Community Centre – that is a focal point for the semi-rural community in High Wycombe.
The challenge:
The kitchen is currently too small to allow more than 2 people to use it at any one time limiting our potential to engage residents whilst ensuring social distancing measures are adhered to, and to allow wheelchair access. The activities will involve the demolition of external walls, creating new foundations and completing footings work, creating the brick shell, erecting the roof structure and completing tiling and drainage – leading to an extended kitchen area that will accommodate a new bigger serving area and more useable space.
The expected result:
The new kitchen/bar will create a hub for our social and other programmes enabling cookery and life skills activities, healthy eating on a low budget classes, food projects for young people and general snacks and refreshments to be prepared to support engagement of users/residents in social and wellbeing activities. At a time when the health and mental wellbeing of residents has been affected by the restrictive COVID-19 measures, our project can help to alleviate the future impact of isolation on our elders, on the community’s health and the effects of a community in that has experience a year of lockdown, through health related and social activities that is enabled through a community kitchen that is fit for purpose.