Arts centre bosses reveal when doors set to reopen
CARDIFF’S Hare Krishna community has cooked and delivered nearly 50,000 meals since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
When lockdown restrictions saw collective worship and normal activities come to a halt, Ty Krishna Cymru pooled its resources to cook and deliver hand-cooked plantbased meals to elderly and vulnerable people in South Wales.
Through its charity Food for Life Wales, and with the help of a small army of volunteers, the group has since delivered 47,709 meals to hundreds of households.
They have also delivered homecooked meals to frontline NHS staff.
Head monk Tarakanatha Dasa said: “Our tradition focuses on uplifting society out of suffering.
“We’re all distressed to see the world so deeply impacted by the turmoil caused by Covid-19.
“We offer our gratitude to those on the frontline who are protecting both neighbours and strangers.
“In order to play an active role in support of our community and frontline workers, we decided our Food For Life initiative would provide excellent opportunity to show care and love through the distribution of free plant-based meals.”
Food for Life Wales, based on Bute Street in Butetown, Cardiff, has been distributing plant-based meals to those in need for 20 years.
ONE of South Wales’ best-known arts venues has announced it won’t reopen until later this year.
Bosses at Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, Cardiff, have announced the venue won’t reopen to the public until later in the autumn, despite pubs and cafes in Wales being given the goahead.
The popular arts centre, which hosts films, plays, live music alongside a cafe and bar, has been temporarily closed since March as part of the UK lockdown.
In a statement, the organisers said the centre, which generates 82% of its own income through sales, “must not take any financial risks” as it works to ensure its long-term future.
This follows a worrying message from the organisers in March, who warned the venue may not make it to its 50th birthday and that more than 100 jobs could be lost.
In their latest update, bosses at the venue said: “Following the Welsh Government announcement that pubs, bars and restaurants can now reopen
After starting out in Cardiff, the community and volunteers now deliver to vulnerable people living in Barry, Caerphilly, Pontypridd and Swansea.
They work around the clock to make meals six days a week.
Food for Life Wales is a registered charity, running solely on volunteers, donations and support from the public.
■■If you would like to donate, you can visit www.gofundme.com/f/ food-for-life-wales-campaign
■■If you would like to find out more about Food For Life Wales, how to get involved or how to access its free meal programme, you can visit its Facebook page. their outdoor spaces, and that cinemas, galleries and community centres will likely follow by the end of July, we wanted to let you know that we will not be reopening until later in the autumn.”
The full statement reads: “We are doing everything that we can to welcome you all back through our doors, and to offer you an exciting mix of art, film, music, dance, performance, classes, food and drink. We miss you all and can’t thank you enough for your support, donations and kind words over these last few months.
“Chapter is an arts centre and an important social space. We usually welcome about 800,000 visitors a year through our doors which is testament to the incredible team, artists and creative practitioners, community and supporters who are at the heart of what we do.
“We want to reopen our doors to everyone and to do this with the most dynamic arts offer that we can.
“This means that we need to take the time to make appropriate adjustments to the building. Our small team is working round the clock to make sure our visitors, staff, tenants and artistic community are safe.
“We’ve been busy looking at examples of best practice from elsewhere in the UK and the rest of the world.
“In addition, we’re about to undertake research with you, our audiences, so that we can better understand how and when you will feel safe to return.
“We’re very lucky that our building makes it possible to open with social distancing in place – for example our concourse, the extensive café bar area, and with loos on every level.
“We are working hard to introduce new measures to make Chapter as safe and welcoming as possible.
“We’re also taking this time to make some capital improvements to our building and will be reopening with a new bar and ground-floor loos.
“Our decision to wait is also informed by our need to ensure our long-term future as we head towards our 50th birthday celebrations.
“We want to welcome you all back but the impact of the last four months means that we must not take any financial risks. As an arts centre, we generate 82% of our own income through sales and this makes us vulnerable when the potential of demand and levels of business remain so unclear.
“We want to reassure you that we will reopen and that we can’t wait to see you.
“We will publish news of our plans very soon so please keep an eye on our website and social media channels.”
The arts centre appealed for public donations during lockdown. Its appeal said: “We need to raise funds now to keep us viable as a charity beyond Covid-19 and to retain all our staff through this difficult time.
“We are due to celebrate our 50th birthday in 2021. Let’s ensure we get there.”
■ Donations to the centre can be made by visiting www.chapter.org/ donations