A CHARITY is hoping to show food is the best way to bring people together when it hosts a community dinner in Cowley.

The 'Neighbourhood Kitchen' will see residents from all backgrounds, ethnicities and ages sit down to share a meal next Friday in the Ark T Centre.

It is being put on by Camerados, a charity based around the concept that the best way to solve the problems in society is people helping each other.

Izzy Harriss, development manager for the charity, said: "The idea is that we use food that is surplus locally, from vegetable patches etc, and the meal is then prepared and eaten by people in the local community."

The charity is best known for creating public living rooms, described as "spaces where anyone can come, on good days and bad, to be around people, make connections and enjoy being out of the house."

In recent years they have sprung up all over the country from Camden to Blackpool and in all sorts of buildings, with colleges, libraries and hospitals regularly used.

In Oxford, it is the Ark T Centre on Crowell Road where Ms Harriss helped create the city's first public living room six months ago in the community hub's cafe.

She admitted people were initially confused by the concept, saying: "I think people weren't sure at first because we were a cafe but not a cafe.

"The idea does take a little time for people to really understand.

"Now though we have, on average, 40 people coming through everyday from older people and mums with babies to workers on their lunch break.

"People have formed their own knitting and scrabble groups and we have really become entwined with classes already being done in the community centre."

Ms Harriss, who helped set up a similar project in Camden, said the 'Neighbourhood Kitchen' event was a natural extension of the public living room.

She explained: "We can set up pretty much anywhere but each space has unique challenges. With the cafe we have found it is really hard work to run but is a fantastic way of bringing people together so that made us start thinking about if there was an easier way based around social eating.

"The hope is that we can make the 'Neighbourhood Kitchen' more regular and in the future incorporate it into how the cafe works, so rather than loads of choices there would be one or two courses everyday depending on what's available."

On the benefits of the project as a whole, she added: "It's all about preventing isolation and loneliness and the the horrible consequences like mental health and addiction problems that can stem from that."

Any groups interested in working with Camerados to create their own public living room or 'Neighbourhood Kitchen' event can contact Ms Harriss via izzy@camerados.org

The 'Neighbourhood Kitchen' will take place next Friday from 6pm until 8pm, there is no need to book.