Over 600 people attend International Family Celebration of Food to mark the Platinum Jubilee

Over 600 people attended a free food event, which brought together communities from across Llanelli and Carmarthenshire to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

With over 600 attendees and foodie representation from over 15 countries including China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, England, Ukraine, Poland, Italy, Syria, Wales, Greece, Romania, Philippines, Colombia, El Salvador, Chile, Spain, Nepal and Portugal, the event was a huge success.

Guests had to opportunity to sample delicious home cooked food from around the globe, as well as old Welsh favourites such as Welsh Cakes and Welsh Rarebit served up by the #Cook24 team at Coleg Sir Gar.

There was also a range of activities for children, including a Jubilee Pompom making station, a food memory graffiti wall and a food vlog corner. There was also music and dancing from around the world and a free Jubilee Cupcake for everyone!

The event was attended by Patryk Gowin, Polish Vice Consul, Cllr Phillip Warlow, Llanelli Town Mayor, Cllr Rob Evans, Chair of Carmarthenshire County Council and Cllr Nick Pearce, Deputy Llanelli Town Mayor as well as representatives from The Alternative Learning Company, Foothold Cymru and the Llanelli Multicultural Network.

Paolo Piana from the Llanelli Multicultural Network said: ‘‘it was amazing to see so many people and so many countries represented at the event. A true celebration of international food, of family and the family of nations we have in Llanelli and Carmarthenshire. A huge thank-you to everybody who made it a memorable day of celebration.’’

Mike Theodoulou, Chair of the Alternative Learning Company said ‘’the importance of community and generations learning from one another about food is so important. There’s so much we can learn and this event was a wonderful way to celebrate our collective foodie knowledge and pass on our skills and story’s’’

This event launched the beginning of a yearlong intergenerational cooking project to mark the Platinum Jubilee, which is being run by West Wales youth organisation, The Alternative Learning Company.

Breaking Bread, which is the name of The Alternative Learning Company’s first cooking project to cross generations, will give young people the opportunity to learn about food from the older generations in their community.

Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund’s Platinum Jubilee Fund, the project is bringing together young and older people in Carmarthenshire to cook and enjoy healthy meals on a budget, minimise food waste and share their skills and advice. Learning from other generations about good food is an important part of this project, but it’s also about friendship and community.

For more information on the Breaking Bread project and to take part in future events, email info@altlc.co.uk, or call Anneli on: 07903296141