"Butty and Blether"
Butty and Blether is a monthly event provided by Volunteering Hebrides’ “Islanders Befriending”project, launched in 2023. Around 40 people gather in a local hall to enjoy great food in good
company, all free of charge. Meals have included: sausage and mash, chicken stir fry, lasagne, mince and tatties and filled rolls with salad and chips. There have also been special meals to celebrate Burns Night and Christmas.
The food is prepared on site by project staff (all food hygiene certified) and are served by friendly volunteers. The event is open to absolutely anyone – there are no barriers to taking part. One
of the volunteers even goes out to collect participants who can’t make it there by themselves, helping a little bit more!
Over the winter months, the project was delighted to be able to provide a little bit more. Meals were provided fortnightly instead of monthly and double the number of meals were cooked so that everyone could take an extra portion home to eat, give to a friend or neighbour or put in the freezer. This took very little extra work and little additional cost as ingredients were purchased in bulk.
Costs per session vary depending on what’s cooking and the cost of ingredients. Cheaper meals such as filled jacket potatoes with salad and a pudding can cost as little as £75 to provide for thirty-five people. Sometimes costs are higher, for example for a special occasion meal like the Burns Lunch provided in January, where additional funds were sought for this special occasion.
Due to the lack of space at our building, hall hire costs are around £50 per session with small additional costs for consumable items such as disposable gloves and aprons, foil, condiments etc. The initiative is funded by a National Lottery Community Fund Improving Lives grant as well as through grants from small trusts and local funders.
The impacts have been measured through regular hands-on evaluations during sessions. Feedback from those who have attended shows that they benefit from: a feeling of camaraderie and the friendships that develop in these regular sessions; free healthy hot meals in a safe, warm place; feeling supported by staff and volunteers; feel more connected and less lonely or isolated;
saving money; improved mental and physical health.
Butty and Blether events were originally created to combat loneliness and social isolation. With a little more creativity, they were adapted to address food poverty, an issue that has become a very real, growing cause for concern in our community, with huge impacts on hundreds of people.