By Tom Charlesworth
For the last 14 months, community theatre group Slung Low have been working as a makeshift, no-means tested foodbank in the South-Leeds district of Holbeck. However, as we approach the end of lockdown, this venture is about to come to an end, only to make way for a new journey.
As I squeezed a fourth food parcel into the back of my car, I turned to grab a fifth. If the drivers were to deliver all 300 parcels that morning, we were going to have to improvise. Just two months before, 200 referrals on a Wednesday would have been a lot. But despite coming ever closer to the end of lockdown, more people are relying on the no-means tested food bank than ever before.
“Are you okay to go a bit further afield, Tom?” Alan Lane, the director of the whole show, asked as he handed me five addresses nearing 4 miles away.
30% of all parcels, at the time, are actually being delivered out of LS11, their zone of operation. Some people might be getting back to work, but the financial strain on many is still too much to cope with.
“It all feels very empowering, which, I think, is my take-away from this.”
Alan Lane
When theatres were forced to shut, as a result of the pandemic last year, Alan and his team decided to carry on. They might not have been able to put on pay-as-you-feel performances for their community anymore, but they were determined to continue helping them in any way possible.
Now, however, this narrative arc for Slung Low is coming to a close. On June the 23rd, after 15,000 food parcels have been delivered, no more food will be packed into green crates on top of snooker tables. Instead, patrons will return for evening pay-as-you-feel cabarets and a pint with friends.
Looking back over the last 16 months, for Alan and his team, successfully running a make-shift foodbank for over a year has meant more than just keeping busy.
“In a world that looks to make artists and creative people feel less and less important, [it] feels very empowering to know that we kept a promise that we first thought would be impossible to keep,” Alan told us. “We kept it with sheer hard work. It all feels very empowering, which I think, is my takeaway from this.”
The importance of being accessible for all
One aspect of Slung Low’s work is that it should be accessible to everyone, no matter their circumstances. For those using the food bank, the service Slung Low has provided over the past year has been invaluable.
Many might not have been allowed to use other means-tested food banks as a result of being unable to prove that they’re in need. For others, the conversation surrounding their situation was simply too much.
“I was on furlough last April, finally got back to work in October, only for my husband to have a stroke in November,” one lady told me as she emptied the food crate onto her hallway floor. “I had to pack my job in. Talking to someone about my financial situation, trying to convince them that I’m worthy of help wasn’t something at that point, that I was ready to do.”
She picked the final item out of the food parcel. A box of Morrisons corn flakes. “My daughter loves these,” she said, with a smile on her face, “it’s all she eats!”
A new adventure
However, as this venture comes to an end, a new journey is set to begin for the theatre group. Alongside resuming to normality, putting on shows and running a working men's club, Slung Low are now committed to creating Holbeck’s only adult sports team.
Although it might seem a far cry from the work they’re currently doing, the team believe it simply incorporates everything they’ve done during the pandemic and before. And having the chance to apply their organisational skills to running a football club, Alan said, was a must.
One thing that opened Alan’s eyes during running the foodbank over the previous 16 months was the disparity of health throughout the city. Holbeck and Beeston, or LS11, not only have a lower quality of health than the average in Leeds, but also the rest of the country.
Whilst Slung Low say they did want to tackle this with the foodbank and attempted to with buying loads of fresh fruit and vegetables, the reality is, the non-perishable goods that were given to them simply aren’t healthy.
“We’re aware that we’re still delivering 6 pints of whole milk and a loaf of white bread every week, and this isn’t great,” Alan confessed.
This is, however, something they feel they’re now able to tackle. When approached by young football coach Ewan Speck, who implored Slung Low to start an accessible sports team in the area, the group "couldn’t resist.”
Ewan says he “wanted to be part of creating a space where everyone feels safe and fully part of a team... I know Slung Low’s ethos of never saying no to anybody, so I approached them with the idea of an inclusive football club.”
Now, the club is set to kick off on the day that the foodbank closes its doors. On June 23rd, members of the LS11 community will gather on Holbeck Moor to begin training for the district’s only adults football team.
“[We] believe that everyone should be able to play and then anything that gets in our way, it’s our job to smash down.”
Alan Lane
With a trio of trainers ready to go, there’ll be a male and female team, and, in true Slung Low style, the club is open to all, regardless of experience or financial situation.
It’s hoped that by offering free transport to anyone who needs it and forgoing fees, Slung Low can remove all the barriers to participation. That way, this opportunity is truly accessible to everyone.
Claire Blue, the female team’s coach, acknowledges that there’s so much more to sport than winning. She says that sport “is about community and supporting each other.”
"We’re moving forwards”
But for Alan, and all of those at Slung Low, whilst waving goodbye to the foodbank might be a sombre affair, they hope that the sports club will encompass everything that the previous year has taught them. Holbeck Moor FC, they say, is a “natural progression” of the group’s commitment to bettering the health of those they serve.
“It’s really strange because it doesn’t feel as though we’re going back to anything,” Alan admitted. “It feels like we’re moving forwards. We have a different relationship with our community and also we know now what we’re capable of.”
One year, and 15,000 food parcels, ago might seem like a very long time since for all of those in The Holbeck WMC. But it’s evidently been a learning curve that’s pushed them in more ways than one.
The previous year can’t have been easy. A theatre group becoming a foodbank overnight isn’t all that common. Alan and all of those at Slung Low accept that there have been moments of doubt about whether they’re able to fulfil their commitment to the surrounding community.
But delivering even a couple of food parcels over a few weeks showed me just how much gratitude those who rely on these food parcels have for those packing them each Wednesday.
Some people believed that Slung Low wouldn’t last a few weeks as a food bank. Many actively rallied against it. Though I’m sure now, any apprehension for the football club has been absolutely smashed away. You could say you’d be rather foolish to disregard the cast of Slung Low.
Find out more about their foodbank here!
If you’d like to be a part of their new football team, contact them using the information below.
Email: holbeckmoorfc@slunglow.org
Call: 07305155698