Community centre to offer free Saturday meals after £10,000 Celtic Foundation boost

Branchton Community Centre will use a £10,000 grant from the Celtic Foundation to expand its free meal programme and is planning a Saturday service after already serving around 50 lunches a day.

Branchton Community Centre will expand its free meal service after receiving a £10,000 grant from the Celtic Foundation. The cafe is already serving lunches through the week with earlier support from the Warm Hand of Friendship. Head cook Teresa O'Donnell and a team of volunteers prepare homemade meals for around 50 people a day. The centre says it is looking at opening on Saturdays to offer extra help to families. Key details: - The Celtic Foundation provided a £10,000 grant to Branchton Community Centre. - Weekday lunches are currently funded in part by the Warm Hand of Friendship. - The cafe serves about 50 meals a day with dishes such as lasagne and a popular steak pie Thursday. - Head cook Teresa O'Donnell, 61, leads a team of volunteers including Tony McCabe, 62, and Mark Boyd. - The Celtic Foundation is expanding its food programme beyond the city and lists Branchton among ten partner organisations. - The centre also runs a shop providing free food, youth clubs and daily classes to promote healthy living and wellbeing. Summary: The extra funding is intended to allow the centre to extend community meals into weekends and broaden support for local families. The centre’s wider activities include a free food shop, youth programmes and daily classes, and the Celtic Foundation is working with ten partners including Branchton. The centre is planning a Saturday service, but the start date is undetermined at this time.