Manchester’s growing neighbourhood, NOMA has become a hub for some of the city’s most exciting food ventures while staying committed to creating a positive social impact. This summer, NOMA is bringing these passions together with the launch of its new Community Kitchen in partnership with Bounceback Food CIC, starting with its first community meal drive on 10 July 2025.
The Community Kitchen will be hosted at NOMA’s hobby house, Altogether Otherwise. This space will enable Bounceback Food CIC to prepare meals for individuals in Manchester experiencing food poverty, whist also tackling food waste. The kitchen will offer cooking workshops, learning programmes, and catering services, and welcomes volunteers to come along and get involved.
Additionally, the Community Kitchen will host a free weekly neighbourhood cooking club, ‘Food Tastes Good’, a pop-up supper club and base for recipe development and experimentation.
MEPC, the asset managers and developers of the NOMA neighbourhood, have partnered with Altogether Otherwise to provide this opportunity for Bounceback to scale up their positive social impact in our city. This collaboration further demonstrates MEPC’s ongoing commitment to supporting grassroots activities in Manchester through Altogether Otherwise.
In its first year, Altogether Otherwise has quickly become a haven for the curious in Manchester, delivering daily free-to-attend clubs and activities that span a huge array of crafts and hobbies.
Ben Young, Director of Altogether Otherwise, said:
“The idea’s simple: cook together, give together. Whether you’re up for chopping veg, stirring pots, labelling allergens, or helping deliver the finished meals to local foodbanks and shelters, there’s something for everyone. No experience needed – just come as you are.”
Duncan Swainsbury, Founder of Bounceback CIC, added:
“Opening a Community Kitchen in the heart of Manchester is an important next step for Bounceback. We couldn’t think of a more exciting project to kickstart our 10th anniversary year and scale up our social impact in Greater Manchester. The central Manchester Community Kitchen will significantly increase our capacity to deliver meals and cooking opportunities to our beneficiaries year-round and is the blueprint of what we want to achieve in every major city across the UK by 2029.”
Dominique Murray, Associate Marketing Director at MEPC, NOMA, commented:
“We’re really pleased to have the opportunity to host the Community Kitchen at NOMA in partnership with Altogether Otherwise and Bounceback CIC. At NOMA, we genuinely care about our community and want to support those who need it most. We want to offer a welcoming place for everyone, and this initiative is a great way for us to give back. We’re looking forward to the launch this July and hope people will join in and help out.”
If you would like to volunteer and get involved with some community cooking at NOMA, the next community meal drive is on 10 July 2025, and you can find out more below.