Page 29 - link magazine

Swindon Wide 29

Hungry caterpillar helps foodbank grow
A classic children’s book has helped Swindon Foodbank gain new followers at Salt Way Children’s Centre.
Project organiser mum Tracy
Pettey said, “we tried to launch a col-
lection without success but linking
it to the Hungry Caterpillar caught
the imagination. Children decorated
parts of the caterpillar which is on a
wall by reception with its head by a
basket. When the children come in
they put some food into it if they can.”
The charity based in Westlea
provides emergency food to families
hit by sudden crisis and relies on
donations from groups, businesses
and individual shoppers at super-
market collections. Richard Belsham with mums and children holding caterpillar parts
Organiser Richard Belsham said, Christmas was the fi rst time we were
“the recession is very tough for able to include small treats in our
people and charities are suffering. food boxes.
However Swindon Foodbank has “All the children’s centres hold
bucked the trend; the support we our vouchers to give to a family if
received from schools at Harvest there is a sudden drop in income.
Festival was amazing and the help Thank you Salt Way for such an
we had from the public in the run- innovative initiative.”
up to Christmas was fantastic. This www.swindonfoodbank.co.uk

Gareth from Barnsley overcomes the burner
Gareth Darby certainly enjoys
a curry and he’s the fi rst person
to successfully eat the Bombay
Burner, possibly the hottest curry in
the world according to the Bombay
Lounge owner Hanif Robani.
On the Scoville curry heat scale,
a vindaloo rates at 60 units. Hanif
reckons the burner comes in at 350.
Gareth, an IT consultant from
Yorkshire who spends a lot of time
in Swindon, said, “I thought it would
be just hot and tasteless, but the
burner was tasty. It was only the
last couple of mouthfuls that I lost the kitchen extractor at full suction
feeling in my mouth and started when cooking the curry.
getting pins and needles.” Can you take on the Bombay
Hanif said his chef had to have Burner? See the advert opposite.

Pig’s eyeballs almost put off trialists
The earthworms and maggots were tolerable, the giant water beetle was
a bit of a mouthful, but the three volunteers who took part in a Bushtucker
trial at the Forrester’s Arms in aid of Prospect Hospice at the end of
October were almost defeated by the black, hard pig’s eyeball served
up as the last of 18 mouth watering courses.
But Mo Hartley, Brett Young and Chris Dunne manfully completed the
job and raised £462. This was added to £350 raised by Swindon half mara-
thon runner Jo Noone and the proceeds of a weekly meat and veg raffl e.
Christine and Ian Johnson, landlords of the Forresters Arms, with from left,
Prospect fundraiser Jane Kendell, Mo, Jo, Brett and Samantha Noone

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21-52 January 10.indd 29 17/12/2009 09:34