Cooking Up Community Spirit: Our Charity Barbecue Day

A day of good food and better company

Last month, the team at Apptest Architectural Design Ltd traded blueprints for barbecue tongs and opened our doors for a charity barbecue in support of local causes close to our hearts. What began as a small idea between colleagues grew into a genuinely lovely afternoon, with clients, neighbours and friends from across Macclesfield joining us for burgers, sausages and plenty of good conversation.

Why we did it

As a family-run practice, we have always believed that good architecture starts with a strong sense of place, and a strong sense of place starts with community. Hosting a charity barbecue felt like a natural extension of that belief, a chance to step outside the studio, meet the people we design for, and give something back to the area that has supported us since 1995.

Raising money, and raising spirits

Every penny raised on the day went directly to local charitable causes, and the response from everyone who attended was fantastic. Local businesses donated raffle prizes, families brought along garden games for the children, and the smell of grilled food drifted across the garden for most of the afternoon. It was a reminder that some of the best conversations happen not across a boardroom table, but over a paper plate and a cold drink.

More than just a barbecue

Events like this matter to us because they keep us grounded in the community we design for. Many of the conversations we had on the day, about extending a family home, adapting a garden room, or planning a new build, are exactly the kind of projects we love to take on. It is a useful reminder that behind every planning application and 3D visualisation is a real family, with real hopes for the space they live in.

Thank you

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, donated, volunteered or simply stopped by for a chat. Events like this do not happen without a community willing to show up, and Macclesfield showed up in style. We are already looking forward to doing it all again next year.

If you would like to talk to us about a project of your own, get in touch with our team today.