A west end cafe is bringing the community together during lockdown in aid of its most vulnerable and elderly residents.
Kothel in Broomhill has been operating a mini outdoor market since measures were put in place in Scotland to stop the spread of coronavirus - and as well as serving coffee and takeaway food to go, the team are feeding over 70s and those facing problems isolating at home for free.
Head up to Crow Road and you’ll see customers queuing at a safe distance for fresh bread, pasta, fruit and veg and more at this heartwarming community lifeline, courtesy of Kothel owner Ed Adviasi.
He explained: “I got all this organised and built the gazebo site the day before the lockdown started.
“We give free food to the over 70s who maybe don’t have any family or whose families live far away. We’ve been giving them milk every day. We’ve been giving them bread, pasta, porridge, tea and any fruit that we can get from the fruit market.
“We’ve also been giving fresh food to the police. We must have given out between 700 and 900 pizzas since we started up.”
As well as the outdoor space, Kothel are using volunteers to get supplies to people who can’t leave their homes.
Ed explained: “We have a team of volunteers delivering food to people. They have been fantastic. Without them we could not do it. I’m amazed how many people actually came and helped and how many people have asked if we need any help.
“There’s been quite a few people who have made donations now too. I just want to say thank you to every single one of them who have donated either money or food.”
The good news is that there’s a party in Broomhill when all of this is over, as Kothel looks to thank neighbours for all their help before and during lockdown.
He added: “We’ve been trying to bring the community together and look after each other by doing this because the community have been supporting us from the very first day we opened.
“I cannot thank them enough and I can not wait until we get out of this and can throw a big party for all of us.”
You can find out more about Kothel Crow Road’s mini market on the Facebook page, including details on free deliveries for locals in need.
