Phil was really supportive and enthusiastic about getting involved with Soft Touch and giving some of our young cooking volunteers experience of working in a top-class restaurant kitchen. Phil and his team helped provide refreshments for a couple of business engagement events we held at our (then unfinished) building on New Walk in 2013 and 2014. This support helped make our events more credible (the lure of lovely food) and to raise awareness of our charity and our plans to refurbish and create Leicester’s first youth arts and heritage centre.
In 2013 Phil and his lovely partner Charlotte opened the White Peacock on New Walk. They are only a few hundred yards from our front gate and our partnership has continued to blossom and grow. One of our talented young people, Liam Burt from New Parks, made an amazing large-scale stencil of a White Peacock for the restaurant which hangs on the stairwell and gets many admiring comments. Adorning the walls of the restaurant and bar area they have displayed some of our Luv Leicester photographs taken by young people over 1 week during the Summer of 2014. Phil has helped us to plan and set up our project kitchen at 50 New Walk and continues to support our events giving our young volunteers valuable skills and work experience.
On 22nd June they provided an amazing buffet and lunch for our grand opening by HRH Earl of Wessex and Erica, Leona and Tiyahna from New Parks helped prepare the food and got the chance to meet the Earl. They talked enthusiastically about their involvement in Soft Touch’s community healthy eating projects and how their experience of working with The White Peacock will help them in the future.
We’ve got lots more planned for the future with joint fundraising events at the White Peacock, and pop-up dining events using our sMASHing healthy eating project kitchen and adjoining exhibition and events space at 50 New Walk.
This is a fantastic partnership for Soft Touch and the young people we work with. We are very lucky to have met Phil and Charlotte and we’re looking forward to some exciting collaborations in the future with the White Peacock.
On Thursday November 5, the White Peacock worked in association with Soft Touch Arts to hold “A Touch of Community” dining event, where all proceeds went to equip the new sMASHing kitchen at 50 New Walk, as part of the refurbishment of Leicester’s first youth arts and heritage centre.
