Teens serve up Middle Eastern community meals next week

The youngsters at the Space youth project are serving up their latest community meals next week (Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 March 2019), and everyone’s invited – as long as they pre-book!

This term’s three-course meal will be themed around Middle Eastern recipes, featuring flatbreads, tagines, and a famous milk pudding called mahalabia. It will also be wholly vegetarian – to mark the Christian season of Lent, when people typically give up luxuries.

The meals will be prepared, cooked, and served by the young people – aged 11-18, from Beeston, Holbeck, and Middleton – who will also join the guests for the meal. And the evening will feature games and activities, to get all the different guests mixing.

The Space youth programme has been running in south Leeds since 2004, in conjunction with Kidz Klub, and – whilst not affiliated to any particular church – is largely funded by the Salvation Army. About 80 young people aged 11-18 attend the groups each week – and also participate in trips, residential trips, and volunteering. The groups have hosted these community meals over the past 6 years, and hundreds of different people have joined them.

Local resident Ed Carlisle helps run the groups and the meals:

“We love running these groups each week, but we also see the huge importance of giving the young people opportunities to help, to serve, to get involved in their local area. These meals offer a great chance for a wide range of people to eat, meet and talk – which in a modest way, weaves a strong community. Come if you can, or get in touch about Space anytime.”

The two meals will both be three-course vegetarian meals, and will take place from 6pm in community venues in north Beeston; book in to discover the venue. The meals are free, although numbers are limited, and donations are welcome. Pre-booking is essential, by emailing Mark Hodgkinson on: mahodgkinson85@hotmail.com. If you have any dietary requirements, please say; you will receive an email confirmation.

To find out more about Space and how to join, click here: leedsspacenetwork.co.uk.