Innovative project in Blairgowrie and Rattray receives nearly £20,000 to reach people through food
Date: Wednesday 10 December
Images of Wednesday Lunch Club - courtesy of Clare McMicking / CraicN Communications
Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) is delighted to have been awarded almost £20,000 in National Lottery funding to support the work of the BaRI Food Project in the community.
The money will be used to fund the popular Saturday and Wednesday lunch clubs in the east Perthshire town, as well as support the development of a new growers’ group which aims to help residents grow more food locally.
It will also allow the development trust to look into the feasibility of a new project that would work with local schools and older people in retirement living complexes to connect young and old people in a friendly, comfortable and welcoming environment.
The trust works with local people, community groups, businesses, the local authority and other stakeholders to help support and encourage a thriving and attractive town with a strong sense of community and identity and to have a positive impact for those who live, work and visit Blairgowrie and Rattray.
BRDT’s BaRI Food Project is made up of a number of initiatives, all of which aim to reach people through food, reduce surplus food from going to waste, reduce food costs, and – working with volunteers from two of the Trust’s other core projects, Biodiversity Blair and Rattray Community Garden - encourage growing more food locally.
The BaRI Food Project initiatives include the Saturday Lunch Club, which sees free soup and a cake delivered to local residents every week by a team of volunteers, the Wednesday Lunch Club which involves regular in-person get-togethers over warm soup for residents of local supported living accommodation, and the BaRI Food and Refill Store, which sells in-date food and food which is at its best-before-date that supermarkets cannot sell anymore at heavily discounted prices.
In 2025, more than 75 people a week have enjoyed soup and a cake through the Saturday and Wednesday lunch clubs, around 5000 customers have used the BaRI Food Store and the BaRI Food Project as a whole has diverted some 70 tonnes of food per year from going to landfill.
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will allow the Trust to continue to provide those services in the local community as well as look at developing additional, tailored services that will feed children, especially those in difficult home circumstances, on their way home from school, support older people in retirement living and connect younger and older generations.
Linda Tait is chair of BRDT. She said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to reach more people through food and continue to build on the success of the BaRI Food Project, which – in line with The National Lottery Community Fund aims - works to bring people together, be more environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and support people to live healthier lives.
“This is important because it helps build relationships in the community, reducing social isolation, food costs and food waste, and will encourage growing more food locally.
“We’re also looking forward to working on our new intergenerational supper club for young people and older people in retirement living accommodation and are very grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund’s support of this.” The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.
As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year (2023/24) The National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£686.3 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700 projects to turn their great ideas into reality.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
The BaRI Food store is open on Mondays, 2pm to 3pm, Wednesdays, 4pm to 5pm, Thursdays, 10am to 11am and Saturdays, 10.30am to noon.
For more information on BRDT and its projects, see online at www.brdt.org.uk or follow ‘Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust’, ‘BaRI Food & Refill’ and ‘Saturday Lunch Club’ on social media.
For further information or media enquiries, please contact Clare McMicking on telephone 07514 343 042 or email media@brdt.org.uk
