A weekly community-led wellness and culinary incubator space hosted in Poole, designed to reach adults (18+) from migrant, refugee, and ethnically diverse communities across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.

By using shared traditional cooking, communal meals, and peer support circles as a "soft entry" point, the project breaks down social isolation and cultural stigma around mental health. It provides non-clinical support for migration stress, cultural adjustment, and the unique pressure migration places on relationships and family dynamics.

roject Delivery Model (3 Key Pillars)

[ Pillar 1: Cultural Kitchen & Community Table ]
         ↓ (Breaks Stigma & Builds Trust)
[ Pillar 2: Peer Circles on Migration Stress & Family Resilience ]
         ↓ (Identifies Unmet Needs Early)
[ Pillar 3: Access Wellbeing Hub Co-location & Warm Handovers ]

1. Cultural Kitchen & Community Table (Food & Connection)

• Weekly Culinary Gatherings: Rotating community members lead live cooking sessions sharing heritage recipes from their home countries.

• Communal Dining ("The Table"): Eating together creates a natural, low-pressure environment where participants build social networks and combat post-migration isolation.

2. Peer Support & Relationship Circles (Targeting Migration Stress)

• Guided Facilitated Circles: Bi-weekly informal discussions alongside the food sessions focusing on topics specific to the migrant experience:

  • Navigating cultural identity and system pressures in the UK.

  • Managing relationship and marital strain caused by financial stress, role changes, or isolation from extended family.

  • Stress-management techniques and emotional self-care.

• Culturally Sensitive Facilitation: Led by trained facilitators with lived experience of migration to ensure psychological safety.

3. Early Intervention & System Navigation (NHS Prevention)

• Direct Integration with Access Wellbeing: Invite local Wellbeing Co-ordinators (from the Poole/Boscombe Hubs) to attend meals informally.

• "Warm Handovers": Instead of cold referrals, coordinators meet participants in a comfortable, trusted setting to provide support for practical worries (housing, employment, finance) before they escalate into mental health crises.