Food for Conversation is a programme of regular social cookery events that seeks to bring people together over a good plate of food to have meaningful conversations while making new friends. In the past we have run cookery events with people in sheltered housing, a young group of adults with additional needs, and with groups of people from across Worthing. We are now looking to add an element of facilitated group conversation, bringing people together to share their experiences and thoughts on particular topics of conversation such as childhood, locality, friendships as well as wider issues that concern us in our daily lives such as food poverty, health and communal support structures.

What we'll deliver:

• Run two pilot Food for Conversation sessions in Worthing and Durrington in April and May 2019
• Run ten facilitated Food for Conversation sessions from June to March 2020
• Produce a set of materials to support facilitated group discussions
• Offer breakout sessions at different venues across Worthing as an outcome of this project

Why it's a great idea:

Similar projects such as Table Talk and Soup have shown that there is a need for people to join together to make meaningful connections over a good plate of food. By facilitating conversations throughout our social cookery sessions we are able to give participants the opportunity to share their thoughts on particular subject matters, recover personal as well as place specific histories and also share worries and issues they might face. We hope to integrate local support services into the conversations in the longer run to ensure that problems voiced can be addressed both in the local neighbourhood as well as in the wider communal circle.

Steps to get it done:

• First Food for Conversation pilot April 2019
• Project Finish March 2020