Support and useful links

National organisations

Making Local Food Work
The Making Local Food Work programme is supported by the Big Lottery and aims to reconnect people and land through local food by increasing access to fresh, healthy, local food with clear, traceable origins. They offer a range of advice and support, free of charge, on a range of local food issues. Particularly relevant for food growing enterprises are:

• Enterprise Support (coordinated by the Plunkett Foundation): http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/about/Enterprise_Support.cfm
• Community Supported Agriculture (coordinated by the Soil Association): http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/about/csa/index.cfm
• Town and Country Markets (coordinated by Country Markets): http://www.country-markets.co.uk/
• Food Co-ops and Buying Groups (coordinated by Sustain): http://www.foodcoops.org/toolkit   
• Governance and Structures (coordinated by Co-operatives UK): http://www.cooperatives-uk.coop/

For more information about Making Local Food Work and the types of support available, visit: http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/

Local Action on Food
National network of a diverse range of local food projects that are working towards a more sustainable UK food system.  The network offers support to members on a range of local food issues from events and trainings to funding: http://www.localactiononfood.org/

Growing Communities
Pioneering and successful community-led box scheme in Hackney, which sells produce from local organic farmers, runs a farmers' market, and also operates a number of commerical growing sites in East London which are being developed into an urban patchwork farm managed by a network of apprentice growers who receive an income from the food they grow. Growing Communities has also recently launched a start-up support programme to help other communities achieve similar success: http://www.growingcommunities.org/start-ups/

Business Link
A government run service that offers free business support and advice to new projects. They have a team of regional advisors available and organise events: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/home

Ecological Land Cooperative
Creators of the “Small is Successful: Creating Sustainable Livelihoods on Ten Acres or Less”: http://www.ecologicalland.coop/

Publications

Dealing with soil contamination
A common question about food growing in urban areas relates to concerns about possible soil contamination. These useful publications provide advice and links to tackle this issues:

• Growing Food: How safe is your land? How to assess and deal with potential land contamination. Guidance for communities and individuals involved in food growing. Compiled by the North West Food & Health Task Force, 2002 [download 650kb PDF]
• Growing Edible Crops, published by Environmental Protection UK, 2009 [download 250kb PDF]

Regional organisations

Glebelands Consultancy (Manchester)
Glebelands Market Garden is a pioneering urban market garden based in Sale, Manchester. They offer consultancy on a range of issues around food production and retailing: http://www.glebelandsmarketgarden.co.uk/

Fresh Ideas Network (South East England)
Offers support to community food projects which aim to make healthy/local food more easily available, accessible and affordable to local communities.  They offer specialist help and training around social enterprise. http://www.freshideas.org.uk/

London organisations

Ethical Eats
A network of restaurants and caterers in London that are interested in sourcing local and sustainable food.  They are interested in supporting more fruitful relations between urban community food spaces in London and their restaurant network: https://www.sustainweb.org/londonfoodlink/ethical_eats/

Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency (GCDA)
Provides intensive support to communities that become active in solving their own difficulties. Controlled by a voluntary management committee representative of local organisations and social enterprises, we employ 11 staff with many years of expertise in their individual fields. http://www.greenwich-cda.org.uk/

London Food Link
A network of organisations and individuals who care about sustainable food in London.  They also run a number of projects to support sustainable food in London including the Capital Growth campaign for 2, 012 new food growing spaces. https://www.sustainweb.org/londonfoodlink/

Social Enterprise London
Founded in 1998, Social Enterprise London is an agent for change, run by social enterprises, for social enterprises. It works to unite, inspire and lead London’s social enterprise movement: http://www.sel.org.uk/

Funding for community led enterprise

UnLtd
UnLtd is a charity which supports social entrepreneurs - people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. They provide a complete package of funding and support, to help these individuals make their ideas a reality: http://www.unltd.org.uk/