Residents at an independent living scheme in Coventry hosted a City of Culture celebration of their own to reminisce about their childhoods and enjoy a private arts showcase, while exploring the role food plays in building communities.
Shortwood Court, an Orbit Independent Living scheme for people aged 55 and over based in the north of the city, played host to FEAST to explore how food connects people through storytelling.
Residents and their friends and family were treated to a relaxed exhibition in the living area, featuring photography and memory sharing and poetry – both written and performed – before a 60s themed party took over the space, including a buffet, for which nine residents aged 58 to 92 were trained how to cater for.
The initiative, which has been supported by Coventry-based programme Cook Together Eat Together, Coventry City of Culture Trust, and housing provider Orbit, aims to tackle and raise awareness around social isolation and vulnerable people, including those who haven’t been out of the house or socialised for a long time.
Ahead of the day, which celebrated the sixties’ food, music and culture, residents gathered for weekly workshops to share ideas, research recipes, and curate a menu before practising how to make dishes.
Residents also shared their stories of the 1960s with Coventry’s Poet Laureate Emilie Lauren Jones and animator Louisa Freitas, who turned them into a piece of animated spoken word poetry - which was also on display - and learnt how to jive, even if just from their chair.
The final menu, which was entirely homemade by the residents, included a Vesta-style Beef Chow Mein, sausage rolls, scotch eggs with chilli jam, cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks, trifle, brownies, pineapple upside down cake and sandwiches with traditional fillings such as coronation chicken.
Resident, Blanche Rawbone commented: “I am quite new to Shortwood Court and getting together to cook each week was a great way to interact with others on the scheme and to make new friends. Also to tell stories of the 60s from my point of view was great.
“The whole evening was a great success and I enjoyed it very much so. Especially the animations. It was lovely to see it on the screen with the voiceover in the background. I didn’t actually recognise my own voice!”
Doreen Tull added: “The whole experience was wonderful. It was great to get together weekly to cook recipes of times gone by. Sometimes they were a pleasant surprise, sometimes not so much!
“Everyone came together for the feast, dressed in sixties clothes, eating sixties style food, and dancing the night away. The amination was lovely. A lot of hard work was put into the night. But it was well worth it.”
Shortwood Court is situated on Wigston Road in the Potters Green area of Coventry, built in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The buildings, which are managed by Orbit, are surrounded by beautiful gardens which are maintained by the residents of Shortwood Court with the help of professional gardeners.
Mandy Collett, Independent Living Scheme Officer for Orbit said: “This was an absolutely fantastic event and a culmination of lots of hard work for all involved, including residents at Shortwood Court who have been busy since February deciding on the theme, menu, testing recipes and writing poems.
“The restrictions of the past couple of years due to Covid-19 have obviously been very challenging so it was so lovely to see residents, family and friends connecting through the stories, memories and food that we shared.”
Photo credit: Mia McCann Photography