Meet The Founder: Anna Richards from Maymessy
As part of our series showcasing our amazing non-profit and impact startup community, WE CHATTED TO ANNA, the incredible founder of MAYMESSY, who is on a mission to support young people’s wellbeing through cooking classes in her cookery school (a converted cow shed!). she tells us what drove her to start maymessy, THE CHALLENGES OF COVID-19 AND what the future holds.
What inspired you to start Maymessy?
Having been a Primary school teacher, and special needs teacher in Inner London, I realised that exams and formal education were not for all. I wanted to set up an ethical business that supported children and young people with skills to benefit their health and well-being. Food is so important – a basic need but also it is so important as what you put into your body is what you get out. I had twin girls and hit the big 40 birthday and thought it is now or never… so we moved from London and bought a derelict farm house and converted the cow shed into the cookery school and Maymessy.
Why do you think that cooking classes in particular can be so beneficial for increasing wellbeing and decreasing loneliness?
Food is a basic need and we eat 3 meals a day and yet many people lack the skills to cook a simple heathy meal for themselves and their families. We support young people and groups with cooking on a budget and focusing on family meals and health issues, but we also encourage healthy eating through eating seasonal fruit and vegetables, reducing fat intake and less sugar. We do simple and realistic things like using wholemeal flour instead of plain flour and less sugar.
The cooking classes reduce loneliness as we can get groups of 12 people into the Maymessy kitchen and so by cooking, passing ingredients around and participating in a shared interest, it encourages communication and collaboration. We always sit down afterwards in the open plan space or outside looking at the beautiful view and eat the food we made together having a chat. The communal aspects of enjoying food together are just as important as preparing it.
What are the biggest challenges that are currently facing you and Maymessy?
Currently Covid-19 has put a stop to all events and cookery classes at Maymessy. We are a social enterprise and fund the cookery classes for disadvantaged groups by renting the venue out to businesses and individuals for networking and parties. All revenue streams have closed.
Where do you see Maymessy in a year's time?
I hope to have employed my first person and have a bank of skilled volunteers from Matchable!
We are about to embark on ‘Family meals’ for the Wantage Corona support group and so I would like to see in a year’s time, the Mums and and Dads using the recipes we have demonstrated at Maymessy and showing other mums and dads how to cook them too.
In November, we are organising a pilot volunteer ‘Be friending’ program which I am very excited to set up. We are matching up 3 women who have lived in Oxfordshire with 3 refugee women which I hope will enrich all their lives. So, in a year’s time, I hope to roll this out across Oxfordshire with teenagers and other women in the county.
I would like to see my volunteer mentorship program supporting more refugee women into work.
I hope all the events postponed due to Covid-19, including a picnic for Team Mikayla – a local children’s cancer charity supporting 100 children with cancer which was due to held at Maymessy in June 2020, will be able to go ahead in 2021.
If you would like learn more about Maymessy, volunteer for any of their projects or discover more about how you and your company can work with and help amazing founders, non-profits and impact organisations like this one, you can find out more here or get in touch.
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