South Scotland MSP Craig Hoy recently visited the Food Punks Pizza Project on Peebles High Street, where he presented a motion commending the initiative on its work.
The project, run by Dave Hodson and Stuart Clink, provides young people from the age of 10 with the opportunity to learn cooking skills in a real working kitchen serving the paying public.
After the visit Craig said: “It was great to meet with Dave and Stuart to learn more about their work and to present the motion I submitted to Parliament. This innovative project offers young people a different method of learning because not everyone learns in the same way. Hands-on, public-facing work at this fascinating and high-quality pizza shop is clearly just what some young people need.
The Tweeddale Youth Action group is behind the social enterprise and wants to make sure young people who are struggling in school have somewhere they are comfortable. The initiative aims to give participants a foundation in catering and hospitality that they can take forward into the workplace, with Stuart providing the hands-on training.
Currently, there are several funding streams for the project, including the Robertson Trust, the Scottish Government and South Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and a number of other donor organisations.
Craig added: “The High Street shop looks amazing and will appeal to customers from the local area and far further afield. With its black walls and spotlights, it has a cool, modern look that speaks to younger people and offers something different. In an often-crowded fundraising environment, it is vital that the Scottish Government provides sufficient funding for excellent projects like this so they can continue to thrive. I will continue lobbying hard for funding projects like this and was very glad to see the project on the ground.”
