INTERVIEW
ROCKPOOL CATERS FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY Having toured the world with Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, and Florence + The Machine, West Yorkshire catering company, Rockpool Tour Catering tells TPi’s Jacob Waite why feeding vulnerable communities in lockdown is their most rewarding post to date.
Following frequent meetings with Wakefield Council at Production Park in West Yorkshire, Rockpool Tour Catering Director, Peter Dillamore-Bailey, and the Directors of Production Park, Adrian, Lee and Ben Brooks, as well as Backstage Academy, set about creating a not-for-profit project to supply meals to underprivileged children in their local community. “We read some articles in the press about children going to school without a nutritious breakfast,” Dillamore-Bailey told TPi. “Our initial thought, before the COVID-19 pandemic, was to utilise our network and
supply chain to provide the local community with healthy produce to deliver to schools, or drop-off points, where those in need can pick up care packages, to give them a nutritious start to the day.” However, once the COVID-19 crisis hit, the collective decided to change tack. “We reached out to Wakefield Council and asked where we could help; after several Zoom meetings, we were granted access to six local community hubs,” Dillamore-Bailey explained. “Our suppliers Dovecote Park in Pontefract and Aldi stores very kindly supplied us with as much sustenance as we required to maximise 56
