In today’s fast-paced world and following the pandemic, the sense of close-knit communities has dwindled, leaving many individuals feeling disconnected.

Recent research conducted by the UK’s leading slow cooker brand[1], Crock-Pot®, revealed that 30% of Brits admit to having fewer interactions with their neighbours compared to the pandemic[2], and a staggering 58% have returned to their pre-lockdown ways, with days or even weeks passing without a word to those who live nearby.

The poll of 2,000 adults found nearly half of those surveyed (47%) agreed that the community spirit in their local neighbourhood needs a boost, with only a mere 7% of Brits saying they feel ‘very connected’ to their community.

Dedicated to bringing people together over delicious food, Crock-Pot® has teamed up with much-loved TV personality and mum, Lydia Bright, to launch the Kind Communities Challenge. The challenge is encouraging communities across the nation to unite through the ‘power of food’, help dispel loneliness and revive community spirit, by asking them to share their community cooking on social media.

The challenge comes after the study showed that for 61% of Brits, the knowledge that someone cares enough to cook for them made them feel special or loved, with over four in 10 (41 %) saying sitting around a table and eating with others helps them feel less alone.

Nearly half of Brits (47%) admitted that cooking for others plays an essential part in building and nurturing relationships within their community.
The challenge will see one lucky home cook win £1,000 to spend on groceries and a brand-new Crock-Pot® Sizzle and Stew Slow Cooker or a Turbo Express Multi-cooker3 which they can use to help them cook up a storm to bring their community together.

Lydia Bright, TV personality and Crock-Pot® lover commented, “Shared meals with family and friends is something I cherish, so being part of Crock-Pot®’s Kind Communities campaign is an absolute delight for me. Growing up in a big and welcoming family, meals with friends and neighbours was an integral part of my childhood.

Food is not just for survival; it unites cultures and fosters understanding among people from all walks of life, bringing them together to enjoy something wonderful . It provides a time to sit down, take a break from the stresses of busy life and catch up over a delicious home-cooked meal – in my eyes, there’s no better way to bring people together.”

Ruth Cooper-Dickson, positive psychology practitioner noted “Meaningful human connection through food is a fundamental source of happiness and wellbeing. Cooking brings us together, fosters acts of kindness, and strengthens our bonds with loved ones and neighbours. With loneliness amongst Brits at an all-time high, Crock-Pot®’s Kind Communities Challenge is a timely initiative to nurture these connections and revive the tradition of meaningful human interaction through food.”

The research found that while 26% of adults rarely cook for people in their communities, 18% do so weekly or even daily. Of those that do, 56% usually do so for friends, 53% for extended family, and 22% for their neighbours.

But nearly a fifth (18%) believe this has decreased in the last 12 months, with 38% putting this down to not being able to afford it.

Mark Taylor, Crock-Pot® Regional Marketing Director commented “As a brand, we pride ourselves on providing the opportunity to unite people through food, bringing friends, neighbours, families, and communities together. Food has the power to connect people, forming vibrant, thriving networks of love and support. Whether it’s cooking a delicious slow-cooked casserole, or whipping up a quick pressure-cooked curry to share with people around you, every little helps.

And the benefits also go both ways – for all the joy people feel when someone cooks for them, it’s just as rewarding to be the one doing the cooking.”

As part of the challenge, Crock-Pot® has also teamed up with national food charity, FoodCycle, to donate multi-cookers to FoodCycle centres across the country including London, Manchester, and Birmingham, to help them provide delicious community meals for those at risk of food poverty.

Crock-Pot® is also encouraging people to consider volunteering for the charity in their local centre and revive communities through the sharing of food.

Crock-Pot® slow cookers and multi-cookers make it easier than ever to put together a delicious meal for the community to enjoy, with minimal effort and fuss.

Feeding 8+ people the new Crock-Pot® 6.5L Sizzle and Stew slow cooker (CSC112) is the essential addition that every household host needs, encouraging households to come together, and create cherished memories with their family and friends. The new digital 6.5L model is available from £99.99[3] from Amazon.
To be in with the chance of winning the Kind Communities Challenge, simply share an image or video of a home-cooked dish that you would make for a neighbour, family member or friend as an act of kindness, to show how you’re getting everyone together using the power of food. This can be uploaded to Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, and[4]make sure to use the hashtag #KindCommunties and tag @crockpotuk to submit an entry of your tasty home-cooked recipe to enjoy with neighbours now!
The competition opens 17:00 BST 3rd October, and closes 17:00 BST 30th October – users must be 18+ to enter.