Blue Monday: FoodCycle finds community dining beneficial for people struggling with loneliness

This comes as Blue Monday, which is supposed to be the saddest day of the year, strikes and charities across the country are trying to raise awareness of improving mental health.

FoodCycle, which has branches in both Havant and Portsmouth, is a charity that offers people who are feeling alone, a place to eat a meal with other people, in a bid to help tackle isolation within the community.

The charity released a research report, written by Dr Marsha Smith of Coventry University, which found that one in two people believe mental health is benefited by eating together.

The research, which sampled 2,000 people, found that 94 per cent of people have not heard of community dining and two in three agree that not enough is being done by local councils to promote community dining projects.

Dr Marsha Smith said: ‘FoodCycle projects offering opportunities to eat with others should be viewed as anchor organisations at the heart of delivering services to communities, and many more of them are needed.’

The report said: ‘FoodCycle creates moments of commensality, showing that they are responding to people’s need to socialise in warm, welcoming, social spaces. Sitting and eating a nutritious hot meal and having time to digest food in a relaxed, warm, and comfortable setting is something everyone cherishes.’

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FoodCycle Havant is open on Thursdays at 6:30pm, St Joseph's Church, and they offer a free meal to anyone in need of a cooked dinner and a social space that is safe, and the Portsmouth branch is open on Wednesday at 6pm at the John Pounds Centre.

FoodCycle’s annual survey, which was conducted in December 2022, found that 87 percent of guests said that FoodCycle makes them feel part of their community and 86 percent said they feel happier after coming to a FoodCycle meal.

The charity is mainly run by volunteers who dedicate their time to cook people a hot meal once a week, whilst also helping people bond with others within the community.

A plea has been issued for local authorities, businesses and volunteers to come forward and help ensure that as many communities as possible have access to a FoodCycle meal.