Blackburn with Darwen Food Resilience Alliance

The aim of the BwD Food Alliance is to bring public, third and private sector organisations together to address food poverty. We aim to achieve cohesion, increased collaboration by sharing expertise and resources to grow, provide, cook and eat food to improve the health and wellbeing of the borough’s residents across our diverse community. We will take the Eat Well strategy as our baseline to work with partners to move from crisis management to addressing the causes of food poverty.

Members: Over 40 orgs/depts involved to date, all committed to developing food poverty strategy. Public Health Blackburn with Darwen (BwD) Eat Well Strategy; adopted by Borough Council, CCG, East Lancashire Hospitals Trust. Involved VCFS sector - Together Lancashire (supports faith/community groups, experience of networking those responding to food poverty), Healthwatch, Housing Assns, mental health, children and youth support services, growing projects, primary and secondary schools.

Established: 14 September 2017 - although the Eat Well Strategy group had been meeting for over 12 months prior to that.

Edgelands (September 2019)

A short film made by local young people showing the grim reality of issues surrounding food poverty, homelessness, and welfare.

Involving young people to develop a Good Food Plan (July 2018)

A group of young experts by experience join Blackburn with Darwen Food Alliance to advocate for local and national action.

Empowering young people to shape the response to food poverty (January 2018)

A recap of work over the last year with young people to create the #DarwenGetsHangry campaign, launch a video and become national advocates for change.