What is Plate Forward all about?

During the first two weeks following the birth of my first child my family and I were provided with nutritious meals made and delivered by my friends, relatives and colleagues.

These meals sustained us in those initial weeks of adjusting to having a newborn in the house. They not only took the pressure off preparing an evening meal when tiredness was at its greatest but usually there were enough leftovers to provide lunch the next day for a breastfeeding mother.

Having been the recipient of this support I have engaged this concept of providing a meal on all sorts of occasions to support my friends, relatives and colleagues in the same way.

This support has not been limited to the event of the birth of a baby but extended to become part of the way I work in the community whenever I see a need such as sickness or stress, the loss of a loved one in death or by separation or just as a gesture to maintain contact with someone who may be lonely.

The provision and sharing of meals is a traditional part of our society - one that can cement the bonds of community support in an age of increasing fragmentation.

for Parents Place Charitable Trust