In 2008, London Food Link opened a fund for small grants for sustainable food events in London, sponsored by the London Development Agency as part of implementation of the London Food Strategy. The small grants programme is now closed, and these pages report on some of the projects that were funded.
Seventeen project were chosen for funding from Round One of the Small Grants for Sustainable Food.
Alara Wholefoods
Alara Wholefoods is working with Booker Cash and Carry to set up a new local food distribution scheme called "Closer". The grant will be used to help the Closer Team to hold a local food marketplace event to showcase as many different foods as possible that have been completely produced within a 100-mile radius of Camden, where the market will be held. This is a business to business event and local growers and producers will meet in the marketplace with representatives from catering and restaurant businesses. There will be sampling and a chance to review the costs of local, sustainably produced food compared to standard suppliers, and an opportunity to raise awareness of the range of foods that can be grown and produced locally. The Closer Marketplace is scheduled for 21st June 2008.
Brockwell Park Community Greenhouse
A series of events from April to August will celebrate the Latin American heritage of many foods and plants in London. The events will give people a chance to share old and learn new techniques for growing these plants in their own gardens and window boxes. The aim of the events is to raise awareness of sustainable food among the Latin American community in South London. http://www.brockwellparkcommunitygreenhouses.org.uk/
Camden Green Fair
Now in its 17th year, the Camden Green Fair is the UK's largest free eco-event, attracting almost 30,000 visitors last year. Sustainable Food and Farming will be highlight themes this year, and the LDA grant will fund a new area, including loads of activities for kids (of all ages!).Cathy Maund of the Camden Green Fair, believes that their grant will really help them to make a difference:
“The grant will help fund a brand new sustainable food area at the Green Fair, including an edible tube map, a crazy chicken 'fashion' show with visitors voting for the chicken that looks most like a celebrity, and a Mad Hatter's Sustainable Tea Party. There will be up to 25,000 people at our event so it’s a great chance to get the sustainable food message out to new people.”
Visit the website to find out more: http://www.camdengreenfair.org.uk/ or, better still, go to the event on Sunday 1st June 2008, Regent's Park.
Continuous Picnic
During the London Festival of Architecture (LFA), Bohn & Viljoen Architects are planning to host a large, public picnic in central London celebrating local and sustainable food. The picnic will promote organic urban agriculture as a way to reduce environmental impact, improve public health and enhance food security. The event is open to the public on 5th July 2008, for information updates visit: http://www.lfa2008.org/
Konstam Food Photography Award
The Konstam Food Photography Award aims to use photography to promote sustainable, locally sourced food from within and around London. From 8th - 12th September, an award evening at Konstam at the Prince Albert and an exhibition at Calumet photo gallery will be the result of this exciting London-wide competition.
For more information on how to enter and the competition rules, see here http://www.konstam.co.uk/PhotoCompetition.html
What if: Projects Ltd
What if: Projects Ltd, with Groundwork East London, plans to use its grant to extend their Grow Bag project to four new locations. Disused builders' bags will be transformed by local communities into allotment gardens promoting the possibility of growing fresh, sustainable food in the heart of the city. The gardens will be showcased at their public open day in June during the month-long London Festival of Architecture. http://www.lfa2008.org/
Elthorne Regeneration
A sampling stall for sustainable food, fruits and vegetables will be included within the local summer festival on 10th August 2008. Local produce will also be on sale in partnership Sunnyside Gardens.
Envision
Throughout 2007 and 2008, Envision has supported groups of 16-19 year olds by helping them set up projects that impact positively on the issues of healthy living, unethical food sourcing, excessive packaging, and excessive food miles. To celebrate, Envision will hold the Flava Fiesta on 1st June 2008, an event that will bring together 300 of Envision's young volunteers from 83 London schools. The event will include theatre sketches and workshops enacting and demonstrating practical ways to make a difference, as well as inviting various campaign groups to showcase and celebrate the quality and diversity of food in London and to inform the young people about growing their own food. The Small Grant was used to make a nominal donation to this event.
Global Generation: Roof gardens
During the spring term, a group of year six pupils from Kentish Town Primary School will be involved in an 8-day food growing and training programme on a roof garden in the Kings Cross area. This initiative is lead by Global Generation in partnership with CEEN (Camden Environmental Education Network) and supported by a team of 17 year old "Generators" (youth mentors). http://www.globalgeneration.org.uk/
Hackney Co-operative Developments
'Delicious Dalston' will be a one-day food and music affair showcasing the best of Hackney's sustainable produce with related exhibits about healthy eating and the environmental impact of different food choices. It will be an important pilot event in the long-term plans for a regular Sustainability Market on Gillett Square taking place on Sunday 20th July as part of the London Festival of Architecture. Crucially it will be more than simply a market including a live food exhibition where people can taste samples of products and engage with issues of sustainability and the Vortex Jazz Club will curate a modest accompanying programme of 'culinary' jazz.
Haringey Youth Service
In their local area, there are no organic food shops, and so Haringey Youth Service will use this grant to train young people in horticulture. In this intergenerational project, elders who have their own allotments will train the young people, while elders will be given training in the elements of working with young people, and understanding their needs. Eventually they hope to develop a market garden that will grow and sell produce, teach young people business and horticultural skills, develop interpersonal and intergenerational links between adults and young people and provide food for future cooking and catering projects.
London Beekeepers’ Association
This project consists of a series of training and events that illustrate the process of bee farming, honey production and extraction, and the uses of honey in healthy cooking and eating. The events will be hosted at a variety of venues from small local events to Kew Gardens.
The training opportunities will be in the form of one day events:
- an introductory session to beekeeping at Roots and Shoots on the 18th June, aimed at 35 members of the general adult public;
- an introductory session for 15 young farmers at Hackney City Farm in June to coincide with Insect Week (23-29th June see http://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/), aimed at 9-15 years old from East London;
- a training apiary at Brockwell Park Community Garden, with the aim to attract members of the diverse ethnic community of nearby Brixton and recruit 12 trainee beekeepers.
The local food events aim to promote healthy eating habits, educating people to taste the variety of honey produced in London and the UK, showing how honey is harvested, and using honey in daily diets, and include:
- a bees and honey stand at the Wooden Wonderland at Kew Gardens on the 3-5th May, attracting thousands of visitors a day;
- a honey tasting event during honey week (5-11th May, see the site of the British Honey Importers and Packers Association www. honeyassociation.com) at St. Luke's Community Centre for 50 older people in Islington;
- a cookery session at Freightliners Farm in July for 20 members of the local community, in particular women of BAME origin in Islington;
- a honey harvesting event at Hackney City Farm in August, expected to attract 80 visitors, especially families with young children from Hackney.
North London Muslim Association
The NLMA will host a Healthy Eating & Healthy Environment Funday on 28th June 2008 to promote local produce and healthy eating and show how this can ultimately contribute to a more sustainable and healthy environment. Food from different cultures will be cooked, including English, Indian and Turkish, to demonstrate how they can be cooked using healthy sustainable ingredients in a healthy and nutritious way. The event will educate participants on the seasonality of fresh, local produce so there is less emphasis on imported foods and the ingredients will be written on big display boards to show the children what they eat.
Praxis Community Projects
The ‘Sustainable Food Corner’ will be an important part of a major open air event organised by Praxis for a minimum of 2500 people. It will be a celebration of multi-cultural food, healthy eating and sustainable food. The corner will be organised by Brochette Corner which provides low cost, nutritious food for Praxis clients, vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The Praxis Festival to be held on June 21st is a celebration of Praxis’ 25th anniversary and Refugee Week. The overall event will incorporate a range of other cultural activities.
The Baobab Food Ltd
This Ethnic/cultural, sustainable co-operative caterer will use their grant to try to bridge ethnic food and local producers, to try to engage the local BAME community in sustainable food, and demonstrate that exotic or cultural food need not imply transporting food across the planet.
The Farming to Food Roadshow
This project will literally bring the farm into the city from 24th -26th May 2008. Local farmer, Jane O’Neill will bring sheep from her Staffordshire farm to playgrounds to introduce children to where there food comes from. The ‘hands on’ animal workshop experiences will be complimented by a photographic exhibition.
Women's Environmental Network (WEN)
The Women's Environmental Network will host a new event to showcase the best of urban community food growing to decision makers and influencers at all levels of society. Invitees will include the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and host of other MPs, civil servants, local councillors and other influencers to witness a success story of community level government funding. The Small Grant was used to make a nominal donation to this event.
All of the events are also to be showcased on the new online food events calendar
“We are really pleased to be supporting these innovative and exciting events. We hope that, through these grants, the messages around sustainable food will reach thousands of Londoners and visitors to the city. We had to choose between over 90 applications which, on the whole, were of a very high standard, which made the panellists’ jobs very difficult. This shows how much interest there is in sustainable food at the moment.”
Advice and tips
- Planning your event
Use our checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything when planning your event - Top 10 tips for a more sustainable event
Events are all about communication: whatever your message, don’t miss the opportunity to make sure you’re also communicating about sustainability.
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