Councillor Michael Lilley initiated a Ryde annual pancake challenge event in 2016 to raise funds and awareness of food poverty and in 2024 still flipping!
Pancake Day is on Tuesday 13th February this year and Michael this year is hosting two events that will kick-start two weeks of fundraising. Over nine years, more than £15,000 has been raised, and the target in 2024 is £1,500 to go to three projects in Ryde supporting the most vulnerable in the Town.
Local causes
These include John’s Club in Oakfield that now run a Monday community meal and warm space, Tidal Family Support who help family relationship breakdown based at Rink Road and Ryde/IW Food Bank at Grace’s Church on Marlborough Road.
Last year £2,000 was split between four food projects.
Where and when
The Pancake Day challenge starts at 10.30am at Pickle and Dill, with Chef, Bob Wright defending his title as Champion Flipper.
At 6pm at John’s Club at Oakfield Football Club, Grace’s Bakery are hosting pancake making and the Peter May high-heeled Pancake race.
Lilley: These great projects literally save lives
Michael says,
“This year I wanted to highlight how food poverty affects people in Ryde and on the Island in so many ways and how it was connected to a spiral of events in people’s lives such as relationship breakdown and domestic abuse as highlighted by the work of pioneering projects such as Tidal Family Support.
“The reality more and more families are facing each week the humiliation of seeking food from food banks and I will continue raising the issue every year.
“These great projects literally save lives and are needed to support the most vulnerable and poorest in our community. In 2024, sadly these projects and other local food projects are seeing a huge increase in residents needing support.
“We should not have the level of food poverty in the UK we are seeing and it is wrong; but for now we need to support these projects and ones like them to help residents in crisis today.”
Support and supporting
The ninth annual event is thanks to the collaboration of support from Sarah Redrup of Grace’s Bakery, Peter May, Nicola, Dani and Bob of Pickle and Dill, John and Jane of John’s Club, and Melanie and her team at Tidal Family Support.
- John’s Club – JOHN’S CLUB ISLE OF WIGHT (johnsclubisleofwight.com)
- Tidal Family Support – Welcome to Tidal Family Support
- IW Food Bank – Isle of Wight Foodbank | Helping Local People in Crisis
News shared by Michael, in his own words. Ed
