A monthly Lunch Club welcoming people from Parkend to Branahuie at Sandwick Hall
kicked off with its first meet-up last week.
The afternoon was set up by the P2B (Parkend to Branahuie) Community Association, a volunteer group dedicated to enhancing the local environment and supporting vulnerable residents. Last winter, the group offered regular Warm Hub sessions at Sandwick Hall, open to people from Parkend, Mackenzie Estate, Holm, Melbost, Branahuie and Braighe Road. Providing a warm, cosy place for residents to gather, the Warm Hub afternoons were a popular addition to the calendar of local events and are now being replaced by a new Lunch Club. Local people were welcomed along to a free lunch and activities in the hall, encouraging community conversation and company among residents.
Marion Macleod and Margaret Smith, P2B Committee Members and organisers of the Lunch
Club said: “Our community is growing rapidly with the development of Mackenzie Estate
and more plans on the horizon for our local area. We are a very active community
association and run lots of activities to support well-being. With the help of Point
& Sandwick Trust we’re delighted to resume our community sessions with the first
of our Lunch Clubs. The feedback from residents has been encouraging and we are very
pleased to be able to offer this kind of help to the community”.
P2B Community Association is run by volunteers and relies on fundraising and donations
to operate. Community-owned wind farm charity, Point and Sandwick Trust (PST) donated
£5,000 to the group this year, much of which is being used to run the Lunch Club
sessions and other social activities, including a bus trip in August. Marion and
Margaret continued, “We deeply appreciate the support we’ve received from Point &
Sandwick Trust over the past few years. Without their help, we wouldn’t be able to
achieve as much as we do. The impact of our efforts truly helps the elderly and vulnerable,
especially at a time when social isolation is a growing concern”.
PST General Manager, DJ MacSween commented: “We are always pleased to support our local community association groups, who run such important initiatives as the Warm Hub and Lunch Club afternoons at Sandwick Hall. P2B are making a positive difference to local people in their area, not just providing a warm place to send time but also opportunities for friendship and connection that are so important to people and community”.
Additional activities run by the P2B Community Association include a summer bus trip
for over-sixties, the fundraising Christmas Fayre, community tidy days and beautiful
Christmas lights to brighten the winter nights. The group are always looking for
new members to help support some of their activities and more details can be found
on their Facebook page.
The next P2B Lunch Club will be Wednesday 7th May 12-2:30pm and is likely to take
place at Café Roo in Aros an Rubha. Details of the venue will be confirmed online
via the P2B Facebook page.
Community lunch club is launched
28 April 2025