Tuesday, 15 March 2022

Monday 16th March 2020 we held our last Broth and Blether at Stratherrick Hall, Gorthleck. 

We all now what happen soon after....Lockdown 1.

As the pandemic and associated lockdowns rolled on  and several of us shielding,   no matter how much we wanted to, we were unable to provide our monthly soup service.

In February 2021 the Stratherrick & Foyers Brolly Group approached us (Lyn Woods, Pam Simpson & Fiona Bateman) to see if there was any way we could re-start a soup service with funding from HIE & the Scottish Government Pandemic Fund. We digitally put our heads together. We had had our 1st vaccinations and felt we could use Wildside to safely develop a Covid safe environment from which we could offer a takeaway soup service. Lists were written and re-written, Soup list (over 40 varieties), Equipment lists (cooking & takeaway), Costings etc.etc. 

Working with the Brolly group, these lists went back and forth a few times and then we received the brilliant news that the Brolly Group had received funding from HIE and the Scottish Government and would be able to fund our service.

With all systems go, our soup making and baking volunteers as well as our volunteer delivery drivers were contacted and all 20 were happily on board. 

On Monday 15th March 2021, exactly one year after the last Broth & Blether, Soup To Go open it’s doors to all in the Stratherrick & Foyers community. 

It was so lovely to be back and to see faces we hadn’t seen for a whole year. Sometimes it was a little difficult recognising folk due to masks and long lockdown hair but the minute they spoke, there was no doubt who they were.

The Soup To Go service was free to all members of the community and ordering is essential in order for us to determine demand and calculate ingredients required.  Each week we offer a choice from 4 different soups, including gluten free and vegetarian, along a with a bread roll & butter, a piece of homemade cake.

The service went gone from strength to strength, with a brilliant uptake and fabulous feedback. We received this comment from Siobhan Beith 

“Another absolute triumph from Soups to Go again this week. Honest to goodness our heartfelt thanks go to everyone whose diligent efforts make this roll out possible. It is simple Community selflessness demonstrated once again at its absolute best”. 

Thank you Siobhan, we can honestly say it is our pleasure. We so look forward to our weekly ‘duties’, the companionship, and of course....our putting the Strath and the world to rights! 🤣

At the end of March the Brolly Group joined us at the soup collection and gave out Activity Packs to those who had ordered soup.

For Easter we hung out the bunting, decorated the Easter Tree, put out peace lilies and daffodils, and ignored the falling snow! Again the Brolly Group joined us and handed out mini Easter Eggs along with the soup orders.

Soup To Go continued to go from strength to strength. In early May, Gillian McIntyre join the team and Covid restrictions were relaxed. The change meant we were able to offer sit in dining, albeit social distanced, as well as our regular takeaways and deliveries service.

Numbers sitting in we’re low to beginning with but soon grew. We were delighted when Ernie Randall agreed to come along and play his accordion for us. He has a wonderful knack of gauging his audiences mood and playing just the right selection of music. Now many a rousing chorus (or three, or six) can be heard emanating from Wildside on a Monday!

We were also joined in our bubble by our servers Catriona Fraser and Marian Rule.

At the end of May, the pandemic funding ended and with agreement of our customers, we moved to a donations basis which continues to date.

In July Soup to Go provided catering for the Stratherrick Mini Gala and showed off our new tabards. What brilliant, hot weather we had for the day, which brought out a splendid crowd. There was a great atmosphere and it was lovely to see the community coming together and enjoying the day. 

StG also ran the raffle and we are so grateful to local businesses for their tremendous support and our volunteers who, helped to obtain and collect raffle prizes, and sell raffle tickets on the day.  Local businesses were extremely generous and we had fantastic raffle prizes. The Whitebridge Hotel, who had replace the TVs in the hotel bedrooms, kindly donated 10 TVs for StG to sell. All TVs sold and all raffle 

prizes were extremely well received by the lucky winners, including the gentleman who won the voucher for gel nails!

The raffle ticket & tv sales made £421.95, which will enable us to purchase enough disposable soup cups, coffee cups, paper bags, carrier bags etc.,for approx 14 weeks.

Speaking of volunteers, we have many unseen heroes who work behind the scenes, our soup makers, cake bakers and delivery folk, Ross Nicoll, Alison Randall and Andrew McIntyre.

As the summer rolled on and the weather remained hot, it was decided not to do soup for the month of August. In stead we offered sandwiches, pizzas, macaroni cheese, baked potatoes and homemade beef and chicken burgers. All of which proved extremely popular, in fact when news of our homemade burgers got out we had an unexpected but exciting visitor.  Elvis was in the building!

How can we top that…..well you’ll have to wait and see. 😉

Summer was to quickly over and we happily went back to making soup once more.

We celebrated Halloween and birthdays and had planned to host a Christmas buffet lunch on 20^th December but it was not to be as Covid restrictions meant we were unable have folk in the Wildside Centre.

So the buffet became a takeaway, complete with mulled wine (alcohol free) and Christmas cake, Mince pie and a Christmas cracker. Lunch was very well received and we had some  wonderful feedback.

Happily we have reopened our doors and we at Soup to Go celebrated our 1^st birthday this week.

Kind Regards.….Lyn

2026

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