A Cambridgeshire Priorities Capital grant has helped to enhance and update the existing cookery school at Octavia House in Wisbech, which supports clients of the Ferry Project homelessness charity and the wider Wisbech community.
The project was one of 26 community projects across Cambridgeshire awarded funding by the County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee. Applicants demonstrated how their project supported the council’s vision of creating a greener, fairer, and more caring Cambridgeshire.
On Friday 8 November, Steve Barclay MP hosted the Grand Opening of the newly refurbished cookery school, alongside invited guests, County Councillors Alex Bulat and Neil Shailer.
The facility, once practical but uninviting, now features multiple workstations and a demonstration table, allowing trainers to showcase techniques, while learners prepare their own meals.
The Ferry Project also collaborates with other groups, to promote healthier living for older adults, providing specialised cookery lessons for those with health conditions. The cookery school is a social enterprise, catering to all ages and skill levels, offering free sessions for low-income individuals and paid courses for others.
Providing vocational skills and work experience in hospitality for homeless clients, the school equips them with essential cooking skills for independent living. Income for the school is generated through workshops, courses, and events, aiding the charity’s mission to support homeless single adults.
Leading the cookery school is Alison Crouch, a seasoned chef and cookery teacher with 35 years of experience in the catering industry. Alison has worked in restaurants, taught in schools, written recipes, and studied food history and nutrition. She has also collaborated with renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Brian Turner, and Cyrus Todiwala, and has appeared on various TV and radio shows.
Cllr Bulat, vice chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee said: “It was wonderful to see the new equipment at Octavia House, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the new and improved facilities continue to help the community in Wisbech.”
“As a county council, we’re committed to supporting projects that reduce inequality and allow people to enjoy healthy, independent lives. The refurbished facilities at the cookery school will provide people with essential life skills, which in turn will enable them to live independently. I wholeheartedly support the great work that goes on here – long may it continue.”
