Lunch Club is Appetite’s group for Asylum seekers and Refugees who are living in our area. They may be part of a Resettlement programme or have lived experience of migration and are now living in Stoke-on-Trent or Newcastle-under-Lyme (either temporarily or permanently).
The group come together through shared art and cultural experiences as a way to connect and build community. A wide range of workshops with artists have been delivered, and trips to see exhibitions, festivals and events, in the local area or further afield. As the name suggests lunch, or food, is nearly always a key element to a session.
Members have voiced an interest in learning more about Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme and a desire to feel more connected to their new home here. Lunch Club’s activities have supported this through a range of activities, event, trips and by having a say in our programme.
Lunch Club was created following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022 and inspired by Appetite’s work with Burslem Jubilee Project. It was shaped together with Ayad Al-Ani, a community decision maker, who has lived experience and is bilingual, creating a safe space for participants through shared understanding, and who is funded by Appetite to be the Co-ordinator. Lunch Club was created to fill a gap, providing additional opportunities for socialising, food, engagement in the arts with artists, engagement in the life of our area and community decision-making of our programme and with others.
Lunch Club originally met at Newcastle Common, Appetite’s project to show how underused spaces in the town centre could be animated. Since Newcastle Common closed in October 2024 Lunch club has adapted to be hosted in other spaces and visit activity in other places.
From October to December 2024 Appetite received funding from the New Communities Resettlement Fund, to run Lunch Club.
In autumn 2025 Appetite are looking for support and funding to continue our Lunch Club and look ahead to enabling it to become sustainable. As such we are currently not able to have new members join the group.
Thank you so much it was amazing and I was very happy and every one else
Member after trip to Bolton Gate Farm, Oct 2024
Lunch Club has hosted 1,212 participants (Feb 2022 - Sept 2025)
Lunch Club has run 44 workshops and 33 trips to local or regional art events/museums (Feb 2022 - Sept 2025)
Fun , Meet new people and learn new idea
Member on trip to the Three Counties Open Art Exhibition, August 2025
