A REFUGEE family now settled in Skipton are bringing together different cultures through the love of food thanks to the skills gained from a numeracy programme.

Almost three years after the Taliban took control over their home city of Kabul, Mozhgan Omari still remembers the challenges she and her family faced while trying to escape Afghanistan.

At risk due to her husband Ahmad Wahid's job as a firefighter with the previous Afghan government, the mother-of-11 arrived in England in August 2021. After a brief spell living in a hotel in Scarborough, the couple and their children moved to Skipton where they felt immediately welcomed by the community.

Soon after, Mrs Omari and her eldest daughter, Sonia, enrolled on North Yorkshire Council’s Multiply scheme learning about budgeting, booking systems, pricing and food hygiene enabling them to serve dishes from the home they left behind by setting up a pop-up restaurant.

And their hard work and dedication has paid off after they received the Biggest Achievement Award at a Multiply Celebration and Awards ceremony in York yesterday (March 20).

Mrs Omari said the Multiply courses have given her a new purpose in life, and added: “Multiply courses have transformed our lives and we have learnt so much, “On Saturday last weekend we held our fourth pop-up restaurant at Embsay Village Hall and it was a sell-out. We served authentic Afghani dishes including kabuli pilau, Afghan rolls, qorma kofta, sabzi and many more. I want the people of Skipton and beyond to taste the flavours, aromas and culinary traditions of our homeland cuisine.”

She added: “We have been touched by the support of people from Skipton who have opened their hearts and homes for our family. Moving from a war zone to the beautiful, rural surroundings of Skipton has been a major adjustment for our family, but we feel safe here and are blessed to find ourselves among a lot of very good, friendly and kind people.”

The Multiply project has been instrumental in helping to improve the numeracy skills of thousands of people across both York and North Yorkshire after a £3.3 million investment was secured by the Government.

The funding was provided through the £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which has been established to help the Government’s levelling up agenda to tackle regional inequalities across the country.

The Multiply initiative has been supported by a partnership of North Yorkshire Council’s Adult Learning Service, City of York Council’s York Learning and a consortium led by Better Connect.

Looking ahead, plans are being drawn up to ensure an even greater number of people benefit from the project.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said: “Multiply is now moving into its third year of delivery and it’s grown from strength to strength. So far, Multiply has impacted the lives of almost 4,000 people across North Yorkshire and York with our free courses ranging from cooking on a budget, murder mystery, candle making and so many more.

“We’ve given away more than 200 air fryers enabling residents to cook cost-effective meals for their families. It’s very exciting to see what year three will bring and how many more people we can help. Well done to everyone who signed up to the numeracy scheme and to our proud winners.”

The Multiply celebratory event was hosted by North Yorkshire Council’s Adult Learning Service and City of York Council’s York Learning and held at The Principal hotel in York. It acknowledged and celebrated the dedication of learners who had taken positive steps to gain maths skills for free by signing up to the Government’s flagship numeracy programme.

Almost 80 learners and Multiply partners attended the ceremony and the winners received a trophy, a £50 gift card and a graduation teddy bear presented by television comedian and writer Maisie Adam.

Multiply offers adults free, flexible courses which include innovative ways to incorporate maths through practical sessions such as slow cooker cooking classes to prepare meals on a budget while cutting back on gas and electricity costs.

 

Craven College has supported Mozhgan and Sonia Omari through the Multiply programme both in terms of delivering the government-funded numeracy strategy and supporting the family in person with their venture.

A college spokesperson said: "Yesmien Bagh Ali and Amanda Ball, both members of the college’s projects team, supported the business from conception to reality by arranging food safety training, registering them with Companies House, sourcing vital equipment and instructing the mother-daughter partnership on how to use it.

"Yesmien and Amanda attended the evening and weekend pop-up restaurants to give advice, support and of course to sample the delicious Afghan cuisine. Uniquely, both members of staff have a background in catering and their expertise was vital when advising on portion management and the legal intricacies of delivering food to the community.

"Craven College is delighted to have shared in Mozhgan and Sonia’s well-deserved success and look forward to seeing them continue to thrive! For more information on accessing the Multiply Scheme at Craven College visit https://www.craven-college.ac.uk/the-college/projects/

To find out more about the scheme in York and North Yorkshire, email multiply@northyorks.gov.uk