Local Food Study Examples of food based community action
CONTENTS 01. TOTNES FOOD LINK 02. LOCAL TO LUDLOW 03. SHEFFIELD FOOD NETWORK 04. VICURBAN PUBLIC ORCHARDS 05. LONDON FOOD LINK 06. STROUDCO FOOD HUB 07. THE COMMUNITY FARM 08. TASTE TIDESWELL 09. LILAC HOUSING CO-OP 10. THE FARM SHOP 11. MICRO ALLOTMENTS 12. INCREDIBLE EDIBLE
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INTRODUCTION Never has the desire to know where our food comes from been stronger.More and more people are wishing to connect with farmers and producers in order to get locally grown produce that they know they can trust. This study looks into a range of case studies that show a variety of ways in which food and local produce can foster communities, strengthen links between producers and consumers, and help build economically viable neighbourhoods, towns and cities. This has been produced by Integreat Plus for Incredible Edible Todmorden, a community project where the benefits of promoting local food have already begun to bare fruit.
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Economic Value of Local Food: A study commissioned by the Campaign to Protect Rural England has quantified the value that local food has to the economy and jobs. Analysis of the data collected has shown that local food outlets support on average one job for every £46,000 of annual turnover whereas supermarket chains (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons) support on average one job per £138,000 to £144,000 of annual turnover.
Pound for pound spending in local food outlets support three times the number of jobs than national grocery chains. Research by the New Economics Foundation into ‘money trails’ gives many examples of how spending on local food keeps money circulating in the local economy measured by a ‘local multiplier’ figure. Examples include local spending for school meals in Nottingham, (currently £1.65m a year) which generated £5million in value. Due to the shift in focus towards procuring food seasonally and locally, the total amount of money circulating in the local economy increased from £181,418 in 2004 to £3,826,688 in 2011.
Similar studies in Northumberland showed every £1 was worth £1.76 to the local economy if it was spent with a local supplier, but only 36 pence if spent outside the area. In other words, £1 spent locally was worth almost 400% more.
Local Food and Planning Policies: There are National Planning Policies intended to support Town Centres, such as PPS4, which is a framework for sustainable economic development, some local plan policies have gone further in supporting the local food economy. Examples include: Shropshire Council, which will ‘plan positively
to develop and diversify the Shropshire economy, supporting enterprise, and seeking to deliver sustainable economic growth... and promotion of local food and supply chains.’
Brighton and Hove Council, which will ‘promote the urban fringe as part of the green
network and encouraging opportunities for multi-functional uses such as new allotments and local food production.’
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Other examples include Leicester (Policy CS2: Green Infrastructure) which encourages new allotments for local food growing, and Islington (Policy CS15) to ‘create a greener borough by supporting local food production through the protection of existing food growing sites’.
Key Findings from CPRE: Local food contributes to thriving and individual town centres. It gives smaller outlets a strong selling point and attracts customers for its distinctiveness, taste and freshness. Food and especially local food needs to remain in town centres, and visibly so, to support access for all, footfall, character, diversity, distinctiveness and, not least, the pleasure of shopping. Local Food networks provide vital channels to market for new, small and medium-sized businesses and fair pricing between producer and buyer. This supports investment and innovation and secures livelihoods. They act as ‘seed beds’ to cultivate business start-ups and help established businesses to innovate and expand.
Local food helps shoppers understand where their food comes from and care about the people who produce it and the challenges they face. Local food reintroduces and reinforces connections with the realities of seasonality, of what can be and is produced – potatoes with soil, apples with blemishes, knobbly carrots – and reducing transport, packaging and waste from plot to plate.
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01. TOTNES FOOD-LINK Name:
Totnes Food-Link project
Location:
Totnes, Devon, UK
Aim:
Strengthen links between local producers and local businesses
Totnes Food-Link
History:
The Totnes Food-Link programme was launched in June 2011 as part of the Transition Town Totnes initiative, with the aim of connecting local producers within 30 miles of Totnes with local businesses, and address the challenges that currently prohibit this.
Key Priorities:
• An online platform of the project • Create a ‘Grown in Totnes’ marker • Training of Chefs • Creating a story behind the produce • Explore distribution
Training Chefs:
In order for Chefs to see the full potential in using local food in attracting customers, they would be trained to use local produce creatively, using all the edible parts, and to change menus to respond to what is in season. The Chef at a local college that promotes sustainable living was contacted and was keen to provide the training.
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Online Platform:
The aim of the online platform was to provide a space for local producers to provide details of produce available, and to allow the exchange of information so that growers could share transport and delivery etc.
‘Grown in Totnes’ marker:
The ‘Grown in Totnes’ marker would be used to clearly identify produce that was grown locally and that meet the ethical and sustainable criteria.
The Story Behind the Produce:
Retailers and restaurants would be given the story behind the produce, (where it was grown, who grows it etc) so that people feel a connection to the producers.
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Totnes Food-Link
Helping Producers:
• Access a local market for their produce • Reach more customers, and increase awareness amongst the local community. • Know what your customers want so they can tailor what they produce to reflect that • Spend less time contacting customers and transporting food.
Helping Shops and Restaurants: • Source more fresh produce
• Sell more local food and ensure quality and quantity of supply • Know what their customers want • Know the farmer they are buying from and be able to tell their customers how their food is produced
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02. LOCAL TO LUDLOW Name:
Local to Ludlow
Location:
Ludlow, South Shropshire, UK
Aim:
Campaign to promote local food and drink
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Local to Ludlow
History:
The Local to Ludlow Group was set up in 1999 by volunteers from various backgrounds with the aim of promoting local food and drink as widely as possible. The parent group, Ludlow 21, was set up in 1998 as in independent body, with no political or council ties.
Actions: • • • • • •
Set up a Farmers’ Market Established a distinctive brand Published a local food directory Ran a programme of Farm Tours Accredited local B&Bs Set up a website to support and promote activities • Sold compostible bags • Given support to other Farmers’ Markets • Ran ‘Easy Peasy’ - a project to introduce young children to cooking
The Brand:
The Local to Ludlow brand uses a professionally designed and trademarked logo, which is displayed on market stalls, local shops, restaurants and B&Bs to promote the fact that the food and drink is ‘grown, reared, caught, pickled, baked, smoked, or processed within 30 miles of the town.’
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The Website:
The Local to Ludlow website was relaunched in 2010 after a redesign part funded by a Shropshire Council’s Sustainable Tourism Grant. Attracting well over 2000 visitors a week, it lists restaurants, local food producers, accommodation providers and shops that are affiliated with the Local to Ludlow brand.
The Market:
The Farmers’ Market was set up in July 2000, and is held on the second and fourth Thursday of the month, with all food and drink being produced by the stallholder. Run by volunteers, the market as been in receipt of around £8000 in grants, but is now self sustaining averaging 34 stalls. and makes a profit after paying the Town Council £310 a month for use of the market square. To cost of the stall to the producer is £18 (all figures as of 2006). The market is advertised primarily though leaflets which are distributed to local households. In a 2006 survey, 58% of market goers said they had heard about the market via a leaflet, the rest being mainly word of mouth, notice board or the Thursday Market.
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Local to Ludlow
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Mobile Cooking Trailer:
Ludlow Food Festival:
Jointly funded by a Lottery grant, Ludlow Food Festival, a Ludlow Area Pilot grant and a contribution from Local to Ludlow reserves, the mobile cooking trailer was purchased so that cookery classes can be given to adults and children.
The Ludlow Food Festival was started as a way of promoting the area’s small food and drink producers to a wider audience. First held in 1995, it has gone from strength to strength and now attracts over 21,000 visitors to Ludlow of the festival weekend.
From this, the Easy Peasy programme was launched in 2009, with funding from the Shropshire Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund. This programme gives cookery classes at local schools in the Summer and Autumn terms from the mobile cooking trailer, with the aim of teaching 6-11 year olds basic cookery skills focused on healthy eating and seasonal produce.
Two locals are now employed year round in order to organise the festival and manage the various events, and the team of volunteers has grown to an impressive 120. The success of the Festival has allowed them to offer a ÂŁ1000 bursary to local people between the ages of 16-25 that are interested in developing a career in the local food and drink industry. The money is intended to go towards to cost of training, travel or equipment.
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03. SHEFFIELD FOOD NETWORK Name:
Grow Sheffield Food Network
Location:
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
Aim:
To promote the growing, sourcing and harvesting of local food and drink
Who:
Grow Sheffield and Abundance Sheffield
Sheffield Food Network
History:
The Sheffield Food Network was created by Grow Sheffield and Abundance Sheffield, in collaboration with a 5th year University of Sheffield Architecture project. The website launched in 2008.
Aims:
The aim of the Sheffield Food Network is to create an online platform that maps anything and everything to do with sustainable food and drink in Sheffield.
What is Mapped?
• Retail Shops - such as butchers, bakers, fruit and veg shops, whole foods and fish mongers. • Places to eat and drink - such as cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants. • Places to source food direct from local producers - such as Farmers’ Markets and Farm Shops. • Artisan food businesses, such as micro brewers.
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• Sources of wild and natural food - such as community orchards, wild fruit trees, hazel trees, blackberry bushes etc. • Locations of Allotments. • Places to gather information, where they may be resources about local and sustainable food, or places that run courses.
Abundance:
The idea for a food network covering Sheffield grew out of the work done by Abundance. This is a project with the aim of harvesting the large seasonal gluts of wild fruit such as apples, pears and plums from trees that currently go unpicked. A team of volunteers go around the city during the harvest season and redistribute the fruit to local cafes, nurseries, restaurants and individuals on a not for profit basis. They use a custom designed mobile fruit unit hand out fresh free fruit to people around the city centre and the Meadowhall shopping centre. Abundance have also turned tonnes of fruit into juices, jams, preserves and pickles.
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Sheffield Food Network
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04. VicURBAN PUBLIC ORCHARDS Name:
VicUrban Meridian Development
Location:
Dandenong, Victoria, Australia
Aim:
To integrate edible landscapes into new communities
Who:
Meridan Homeowners Association
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VicUrban Public Orchards
History:
A previously down-trodden suburb of Melbourne, Dandenong has received significant funding from the Australian government for its rejuvenation, which has included a new housing development of 280 dwellings known called Meridian.
Actions:
This development is an ambitious example of integrating food production into a residential development from the outset. • More than 330 fruit trees, such as apples, apricots, lemons, pomegranates, pears, mulberries, plums, figs, guavas, olives and almonds have been planted on the public spaces and verges. • Planting is integrated into pedestrian and bicycle friendly shared zone streets. • Fruit is harvested by the community when they come into season. • The scheme is professionally managed by the Meridian Homeowners Association, an incorporated association of residents.
Funding:
Ongoing maintenance of the planting is funded by a $50 quarterly levy paid by the homeowners. The levy is not compulsory for homeowners, but is encouraged.
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VicUrban Public Orchards
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05. LONDON FOOD LINK Name:
London Food Link
Location:
Various locations across London, UK
Aim:
To link food growers with unused spaces across London, particularly in deprived areas
Who:
The Capital Growth Programme
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London Food Link
History:
Capital Growth was launched in partnership with the London Food Link in 2008 to provide practical and financial help to Londoners wanting to set up or expand food growing spaces.
Actions:
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The London Food Link and the Capital Growth programme aim to: • increase the availability of sustainable food within the capital • remove the barriers the currently prevent access to local food • link people wishing to grow food with unused plots which can be turned into urban growing spaces • produce a quarterly magazine called ‘The Jellied Eel’
Funding:
The Capital Growth scheme was funded from 2008-2012 by the Mayor of London and by the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme.
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Results:
• 2012 new community food gardens have been set up in London since 2008, covering a total area of 124 acres. • 99,000 more people are growing food in the capital since the project launch. • 22 of the 33 London Boroughs have signed up to the programme. • 82% of the new food gardens are in the most deprived areas of London. • 66% of the gardens are on previously unused, derelict or inaccessible land. • 71% of people using the new community gardens say that they have made new friends as a result, and 38% feel safer in their neighbourhood.
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London Food Link
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06.STROUDCO FOOD HUB Name:
StroudCo Food Hub
Location:
Stroud, Gloucestershire , UK
Aim:
To create a place where local producers and artisans can sell their produce.
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StroudCo Food Hub
History:
Stroudco food hub was launched in 2006 by local activists that wanted to change and promote the local food system. It is a democratically owned and run enterprise that encourages the trade in local food.
Actions:
• Provide affordable local food to the community • Create an outlet where producers can sell produce for more than wholesale prices, but sold at lower than retail prices • Build and strengthen links between producers and consumers. • Develop a food culture
How it works:
Small scale producers mostly within 15 miles of Stroud list their produce on the Stroudco website, which can be ordered online by consumers. The producers deliver to Stroud Valley Community School from Thursday to Saturday morning every week. The stock can then be picked up from the school, or delivered for a small £1.22 charge. 2
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Any profits are invested back into the business, with the purchase of equipment that can be hired out by local residents, such as microbrewing kits, apple juicers etc.
Funding:
Stroudco initially received two Rural Enterprise Gateway of £1500 each, and an Awards for All lottery grant of £8750. In 2009, Stroudco received further funding of £63,073 from Local Food Funding to cover set up costs and the expected initial loss. The need for further funding is not anticipated as it becomes self sustaining.
Income:
Running costs are covered by both the producers and consumers. Consumers pay a £2 a month membership fee, and producers pay an annual fee of around 8% of their gross sales, although this is altered when necessary to make sure the food hub makes neither a loss or surplus. The hub needs 200 consumers spending on average £24 a month to break even.
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StroudCo Food Hub
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07. THE COMMUNITY FARM Name:
Compton Martin Community Farm
Location:
Compton Martin, Somerset, UK
Aim:
To run a not for profit community farm in order to increase the availabilty of local produce
The Community Farm
History:
The Community Farm was established in 2011 on 22 acres of land in the Chew Valley. It is owned by its members, who now run the farming, organic box scheme and wholesale business as a not for profit organisation.
Actions:
• To grow organic fruit and veg in the most sustainable way possible • Run an organic box scheme that delivers local food to the door for competitive prices • Run a wholesale business supplying food to local restaurants and shops • Hold open days so locals can gain a better understanding of where the food comes from • Run volunteer days where people can help work on the farm
Membership:
500 members have invested a total of £180,000 so far, with anyone able to invest between £30 and £20,000. Members have a 15% discount to courses and workshops, at least a 10% on the food boxes, as well free access to events and festivals, and having a say into how the farm is run.
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Volunteering:
Volunteers are encouraged to participate in farm work, so that they gain knowledge and experience in growing organic food. All members are encouraged to spend at least one day a year helping out on the farm, although this is not compulsory.. The farm is also used by local organisations and businesses, with staff social cooking events held there, as well team building days allowing groups to get their hands dirty.
Education:
Lottery funding from Village SOS and Awards for All has funded a Yurt which has been built by Chew Valley Lake. This sheltered space can be used by school groups, childrens’’ activity days as well as adult learning courses, meaning that the whole community can gain a greater understanding of sustainable, organic farming.
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The Community Farm
The Box Scheme:
Anyone living within the delivery area, which currently encompasses Bristol, Bath, Frome and the Chew Valley, can order fresh, organic veg boxes. The charity DHI (Developing Health and Independence) run a Food Hub in the covered market in Bath where boxes are delivered every Thursday, so that they can be collected by people on their way home from work. A percentage of the money paid for the food box is then donated to the charity to help support their work supporting the homeless and addicted. DHI volunteers run the pickup hub as part of the charity’s mission to help people facing social exclusion, learn new skills, gain qualifications, make positive use of their time, and ultimately get back into the workplace.
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08.TASTE TIDESWELL Name:
Taste Tideswell
Location:
Tideswell, Derbyshire, UK
Aim:
To connect local people with their food and keep local shops open and thriving
Taste Tideswell
History:
Taste Tideswell was created in 2009 to turn Tideswell into a destination for food lovers, and to connect the community with locally grown produce, as well as educating people on where the food comes from and how to prepare it. The ultimate aim is to treble the size of the local food economy by encouraging the local community to spend their money in local shops, restaurants and cafes that source their produce from in and around the town.
Aims:
• Grow it - encourage the residents of • •
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Tideswell to grow their own fruit and veg Cook it - run a community food school and cookery courses at the Tideswell School of Food Make it - provide mentoring for start up food businesses, as well as offering an incubator kitchen as a space were cooking or brewing business can develop Sell it - developing a Made in Tideswell food brand to increase awareness and sales in local food Share it - publicise the activities undertaken so that others can learn and benefit
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Funding:
Taste Tideswell was awarded a £432,000 Big Lottery grant, a large portion of which was used in creating the Tideswell School of Food. It is the running of cookery courses that is hoped will provide the majority of the income to sustain the project long term.
Tideswell School of Food:
The Tideswell School of Food offers a wide variety of cookery courses for adults and children, ranging in price from £25 for an evening workshop to £150 for a whole day course. Alongside cookery, the school runs foraging days, wine tasting, micro brewing The school now employs 9 people directly, and uses local producers thus keeping the money in the local economy. Within the School of Food is a commercial kitchen and nano-brewery, which can be rented out to start up food businesses, as well as meeting rooms and facilities to run conferences and attract corporate and group events.
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Taste Tideswell
Community Kitchen Garden:
An unused and overgrown piece of land behind the church was turned into a productive community garden by volunteers It can be used by anyone would wants to start growing and does not have the space or feels like they would need some help and advice. The garden is run by volunteers, who help with weeding, watering, planting, harvesting, etc. The garden is also used to support the education programme and courses run at the School of Food.
Education:
Taste Tideswell employ an Education Offer in order to engage with local children, from Key Stage 1 right through to A level, although the main focus is at Key Stages 2 and 3. The programme is designed to cover all relevant areas of the National Curriculum, and can be tailored to suit the needs of the particular school. A trained teacher is available to come into schools to run cookery activities, and can provide the equipment, ingredients and lesson plans.
Tideswell Made Scheme:
The Tideswell Made is a ‘Trust Mark’ Scheme designed to help consumers know which food products when bought will give the most benefit to the local economy. It also helps producers and artisans promote their produce. Qualifying businesses need to agree to adhere to the following principles, amongst others, • to source all ingredients, supplies and labour as locally as possible, • to be honest, traceable, and accountable, • to be as environmentally sustainable as possible, with minimum packaging and waste, • to be safe and hygienic, • to be good value for money In return Taste Tideswell provides the business with the branding, display material, point of sale material, as well as help and advice in promoting their products in Tideswell and beyond.
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09.LILAC HOUSING CO-OP Name:
Lilac Housing Co-op
Location:
Bramley, Leeds, UK
Aim:
To create a sustainable community of 20 homes build and designed using the cohousing principles
Lilac Housing Co-op
History:
LILAC, which stands for Low Impact Living Affordable Community, is a co-op housing project aiming to build 20 homes to very high ecological and sustainable standards. A site has been bought in Bramley, Leeds, which is now owned and managed by the Lilac Mutual Home Ownership Society.
Aims:
• have a low impact on the environment, build to the highest ecological standards and protect the world’s resources in the face of climate change and energy scarcities; • respond to the housing crisis by providing permanently affordable housing; • build a beautiful, safe neighbourhood which maximises social interaction between its residents and gives them direct power over how their neighbourhood is run; • make a positive contribution surrounding community.
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Community:
A sense of community and cohesion ifs fostered through the co housing concept of mixing private dwelling spaces and shared facilities. There is a large common house, which has shared cooking and eating facilities, as well as a meeting space a play area. On of the important aspects promoting the sense of community of the maximisation of open green spaces, as well as having a designated growing area. This space acts as an area where all the residents can interact on a weekly basis, as well as produce an important sustainable food resource for the residents.
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Lilac Housing Co-op
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10.FARM:SHOP Name:
The FARM:shop
Location:
20 Dalston Lane, Hackney, London, UK
Aim:
To create a sustainable community of 20 homes build and designed using the cohousing principles
The Farm Shop
History:
FARM:shop was launched in 2010 in order to bring farming into the heart of London. The idea was developed by the eco-social design practice Something &Son.
Aims:
• To excite and inspire city dwellers to grow their own food, fabric and medicine and make an income doing this. • To create direct links between farms in the countryside with communities in cities. • To grow food commercially via a network of FARM:’s across cities and retail this food at FARM:shop’s.
Growing and rearing:
The shop is currently using a number of different ways in which to grow and rear food. At the moment this involves: • ‘Aquaponic’ micro fish farming • A high tech indoor allotment • A rooftop chicken coop • A Polytunnel
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The Shop:
The shop, a once derelict building at 20 Dalston Lane, Hackney, is now a workshop, cafe and events venue filled with growing food. The shop is open every Monday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm, and offers a place for people across the capital to buy the produce grown in the shop.
The Cafe:
The Cafe uses ingredients grown on site, as well as those sourced from other local growers and urban farmers, to produce healthy sandwiches, salads, and cakes. Food can be taken away, or eaten inside the polytunnel or indoor allotment.
Venue:
The FARM:shop has a number of different venue spaces across the four floors, as well as the covered garden, which can be hired out to bring in extra venue. Common types of events held include: • Rental for private parties (bar and catering provided) • Meeting room rental for creative workshops and strategy days • Covered outdoor talks and lecture theatre and pop up cinema in the polytunnel • Kitchen available to hire for parties and supper clubs
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The Farm Shop
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11. MICRO-ALLOTMENTS Name:
Walkley Micro-allotments and the Three Sisters Project, Islington
Location:
Walkley and Crookes, Sheffield, UK Islington, London, UK
Aim:
To turn unused front gardens into microallotments and build community cohesion
Micro-allotments
The Three Sisters Project:
This project, based in Islington, was started in 2009 with funding from a mayoral grant to encourage the growing of edibles. 50 households in Islington were given free compost bags and seeds so that they could grow beans, squashes and sweet corn in their front gardens. The people which were particularly encouraged to take part were those that had never gardened before, as it was hoped the sense of being part of a bigger project would persuade them to get involved. The project has been an unmitigated success, with the number of people growing edible produce in and around Ambler Road double to over 100. The transformation of the area has won them an Islington in Bloom award. The prize money from this was used to buy daffodil bulbs, and the ongoing transformation encouraged the council to lend them some staff to enlarge tree pits and cut hedges.
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The Future:
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Plans for the future include giving out seeds for runner beans, spinach and strawberries. The success of the project also means it needs to be decided what to do with the gluts of produce, with ideas ranging from swapping produce at local shops and restaurants, or having produce baskets on the doorstep for locals.
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Micro-allotments
Walkley micro-allotments:
This project was started by the Sheffield based social enterprise Studio Polpo, with the aim of increasing the capacity of Walkley and Crookes to grow food. It is also intended to bring social benefits, and help what could otherwise by isolated residents. The idea is that unused front gardens in Walkley and Crookes would be turned into micro-allotments be provided with water collecting equipment and compost, and planted up and tended by volunteers. The owner of the property needn’t maintain the plot themselves, meaning that the project would be suitable for the elderly. This has the added benefit of bringing social contact to people that would otherwise have little outside contact. A mobile bike gardening trailer does rounds of the streets containing micro allotments, kept at the community gardens in Hallamgate. This project has been funded by Sheffield Council as part of the Climate Funding Programme.
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12. INCREDIBLE EDIBLE Name:
Incredible Edible Todmorden
Location:
Todmorden, West Yorkshire, UK
Aim:
To increase the amount of growing space within the town and promote local foods.
Incredible Edible
History:
Incredible Edible is a project that was spearheaded in 2008 by Pamela Warhurst, Mary Clear and a group other locals with the aim of bringing the local community together through local food, whilst creating a resilient and sustainable local food based economy.
Aims:
The main aim of Incredible Edible is to actively promote locally grown food though community action. This is achieved by growing food in and around the town in as much availbale space as possible, for the benefit of the whole community. As set out in the Incredible Edible Constitution, the group also aims to promote and develop a food culture, thus increasing the opportunities for local food growing, cooking and sourcing. This will go hand in hand with fostering new links with like minded groups and local prouducers, as well as developing community skills in growing and cooking local produce.
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Guerilla Growing:
Volunteers have been growing food in and around Todmorden with (and without!) permission for over 4 years, using unused spaces to produce vegetables and herbs. Planters have popped up in schools, by the canal, in car parks and even cemeteries! Fruit trees have also been planted in car parks and around the town centre. Produce can be harvested by residents free of charge when they are ready,
Every Egg Matters:
This scheme was launched in 2009 in order to encourage the production and consumption of eggs laid in and around Todmorden. A map was produced which showed the location of local producers that have a surplus of eggs for sale. Most of those mapped are people with a few hens in their back garden, and so this scheme has been a great way of connecting the community of poultry owners so that they can share resources and tips.
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Incredible Edible
The Green Route:
Incredible Knowledge:
Incredible Spreadable:
An aquaponic ‘food hub’ is being built at the High School, which was produce fish and salad leaves. This will not only mean that the High School will have access to locally grown produce, but also state of the art learning facilities, where teaching can be given about sustainable growing methods.
The Green Route is an edible walking route around the Town of Todmorden, which encourages visitors and residents to seek out the hidden gems and beautiful features of the town. The route takes people from the railway, along an edible towpath, past gardens, sculptures and embankments and alongside the shops, cafes and markets that sell local produce. Along the way information boards tell the story of the tireless bees, butterflies and bugs that are so important in keeping the fruits and flowers thriving.
One of the important aims of Incredible Edible is to pass on the knowledge gathered over the past 5 years in how to succesfully encourage the growing of food to other towns and cities that wish the achieve similar results. The ideals of Incredible Edible have been spread far and wide, reaching as far as China and Ghana to name but two.
Another important aim of Incredible Edible is teaching children the importance of local food, and so strong relationships with local schools have been developed so that the schools are actively involved in growing food. Todmorden is the first town in the county to have a townwide school orchard, where all the primary schools have fruits trees planted at the High School as well as in their own grounds.
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IMAGE REFERENCES 00. INTRODUCTION
1&2.http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/ farming-and-food/local-foods/item/2897from-field-to-fork
01. TOTNES FOOD LINK
1. US Department of Agriculture 2. http://www.transitiontowntotnes.org/
02. LOCAL TO LUDLOW
1.Flickr: London Permaculture Oct 2008 2.Flickr: UltraBobban Oct 2010 3.http://www.foodfestival.co.uk/ 4.http://www.localtoludlow.org.uk/projects. cfm
03. SHEFFIELD FOOD NETWORKS http://www.sheffieldfoodnetwork.co.uk/
04. VICURBAN PUBLIC ORCHARDS
1.http://news.domain.com.au/domain/green/ bearing-fruit-edible-landscapes-2010081011wzg.html 2.Vicurban Meridian Brochure pdf.
05. LONDON FOOD LINK
1. http://www.capitalgrowth.org/ 2.http://londonist.com/2012/04/mayoralelections-nature-food-and-fresh-air.php 3.http://www.capitalgrowth.org/training/ growing_schools/
06. STROUDCO FOOD HUB 1. Flickr: trogg66 June 2008
2. US Department of Agriculture
07. THE COMMUNITY FARM
09. LILAC HOUSING CO-OP http://www.lilac.coop/
10. THE FARM SHOP http://farmlondon.weebly.com/index.html
11. MICRO ALLOTMENTS
1&3http://www.studiopolpo.com/index. php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9 5:drawingshed&catid=35:work&Itemid=56 2. Gardening Which? Magazine 11th June 2011
http://www.thecommunityfarm.co.uk/
12. INCREDIBLE EDILBE
08. TASTE TIDESWELL
pictures
http://www.tastetideswell.co.uk/
www.incredidble-edible-todmorden.co.uk/
INTEGREAT PLUS 71-75 Columbia Place Leadmill Road Sheffield S2 4AR 0114 275 2619 www.integreatplus.com