The Mayor of London has written to Clare Donovan, a local resident and founder of Cooking Champions, thanking her for the "amazing" work done by her and by the charity's staff and volunteers.The Mayor of London's letter to Clare Donovan, dated 17 July 2023
Dear Clare,
I wanted to write to thank you for your contribution to the local community in North London through the amazing work that you, volunteers and staff have been doing through Cooking Champions: from the vital initiatives that provide children's cooking classes and food education in schools to the instrumental role that you and your team played during the pandemic.
I would like to congratulate you on becoming a registered charity, on setting up the community kitchen in Ponders End and the first community kitchen in your borough. Your partnership working has allowed Londoners, some of whom are vulnerable, to build meaningful relationships with others in their local community. In this way, Cooking Champions are also Community Champions.
As Mayor, I am committed to promoting equality for all communities in London and I share your commitment to creating a fairer society. The Mayor's London Food Strategy sets out my commitment to ensuring all Londoners access healthy, sustainable and affordable food. I have been working closely with the London Food Board and other partners to ensure it can help deliver a fairer food system. The Food Roots Programme and my recent pledge to provide £135 million to ensure all primary school children in London can receive free school meals is an example of some of the work that we are doing in the GLA to tackle food poverty and inequality.
On behalf of all Londoners, thank you for your leadership and dedication to the lives of residents in North London, and for contributing to the voluntary sector that supports them.
Yours sincerely,
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London
Who are Cooking Champions?
Who better to answer this question than Cooking Champions themselves?
We are Cooking Champions - a registered food support, education and training charity running in the North London area.
We are a passionate team of experienced staff and devoted volunteers who believe in the power of food as a force for good.
After providing food support in North London for over three years, Cooking Champions opened the doors to the first dedicated Community Kitchen in the heart of Enfield - a space which has become a hive of free food-based activities.
We bring the community together for food education workshops, open kitchen sessions, community lunches and more. A place where everyone is welcome!
And here they are in action: