A new series of cooking classes run by the team at Centre81 in Whitecrook launched last week – and they’re not letting the pandemic restrictions stand in their way.

The first of the weekly sessions took place via Zoom on Tuesday, September 8.

The classes are usually taken in the Braes Avenue community centre but the in-person sessions have been called off due to the local lockdown in West Dunbartonshire making it unfeasible.

The cooking sessions are part of a Climate Challenge Fund Project outcome, whereby those who attend are given ingredients and recipes for seasonal dishes which are aimed at reducing food waste and minimising the carbon footprint of the food we all use.

Participants are able to pick up a pack from the centre with all the ingredients they need for each week’s recipe, before taking it home and following the instructions given during a live video call on the chat platform.

Ryan Savage, social media manager at Centre81, said: “It went really well and we’re happy with the response so far.

“As the centre is shut, but the project is still going, we decided to run a Zoom cooking class instead.

“We supply all the ingredients for the classes. The participants come down to the centre to collect their cooking packs half-an-hour before the session is due to start.

“Sandra Johnson leads the cooking sessions.”

A recent publication from West Dunbartonshire Council on child poverty showed a 4.7 per cent increase in the percentage of children in poverty between 2015/16 and 2018/19.

Meanwhile, the West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare charity has reported a 48 per cent rise in demand for its services during April and May, when lockdown limits were at their tightest.