Print

CLICK HERE to see food distribution in action

 

Pictured Above | Cumberland Lodge Head Chef, Rob, Getting Freshly-Baked Pies Ready for Distribution

Cumberland Lodge working with Crown Estate to deliver ready-meals and groceries to elderly and vulnerable in Windsor Great Park | STAFF at Cumberland Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, have teamed up with the Crown Estate to prepare ready-made meals for more than 200 elderly and vulnerable people living in the Great Park and its immediate surroundings, as part of their response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The first food deliveries from the Lodge are due to start this afternoon, Thursday 26 March 2020.

The charity’s long-standing Head Chef, Robert Szewczyk, who lives in the Great Park, has been co-ordinating the project with Sous-Chef Ross Brooks, who also lives on site.

The chefs have been busy preparing and freezing 900 meals, ready to be distributed from a series of food stations set up in the grounds of Cumberland Lodge, along with a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, bread and butter, and venison sausages.

The costs of the food are being met by the Crown Estate. The parcels will be collected by Crown Estate staff and delivered directly to people’s doorsteps, this afternoon.

The charity’s Chief Executive, Canon Dr Edmund Newell, said, ‘There are many people living in and around in Windsor Great Park who are isolated and vulnerable, and, as a charity that exists to contribute to the betterment of society, we are pleased to be able to work in partnership with our friends and colleagues at the Crown Estate to provide practical help at this time.

‘We have a reputation for great food, and our chefs, who would normally be cooking for hundreds of guests, have been working hard all week to ensure that our neighbours have healthy, ready-made meals to enjoy.

‘We hope to continue providing this service for as long as it is needed, whilst we are able to do so.’

Cumberland Lodge is a charity founded in the aftermath of the Second World War to tackle social division by convening conversations between people of all ages and backgrounds. Ordinarily, the 17th-century, former royal residence is full of guests from all over the UK, and around the world – many of whom come as part of event bookings that help to support the charity’s own programme of conferences, panel discussions, webinars and study retreats.

In the current circumstances, all gatherings at Cumberland Lodge have been postponed, and many of the household and administrative staff have been put on paid leave or asked to work from home whilst delivering the charity’s programme of events and discussions online.

 

Founded in 1947, with the support of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Cumberland Lodge is a charity that empowers people, through dialogue and debate, to tackle the causes and effects of social division.

We convene multi-sector conferences, seminars and panel debates that engage people of all ages, backgrounds and perspectives in candid conversations, to challenge silo thinking and build networks with the power to drive positive change.

By commissioning rigorous, interdisciplinary research to guide our conversations, and refining key themes of discussion into practical, policy-focused recommendations, we incubate fresh ideas that promote progress towards more peaceful, open and inclusive societies. In 2019-20, we are focusing on ‘Inclusion & Opportunity’. You can find out more about this series here.

Our educational programmes help to nurture future leaders and change-makers. We offer: subsidised study retreats and bursaries for university students; scholarships and personal development opportunities for doctoral students; conferences and retreats to support international students from all over the world; and thought-provoking workshops for school-aged children. Through these, we equip and inspire students and young people to work towards social progress in their lives and careers.

We also run regular public events for the local community, including Cumberland Conversations with guest speakers from public life, guided tours, fundraising dinners, film screenings, art exhibition open mornings, garden parties and literary retreats.