Real Bread events: Can YOU help?

Over the past decade, the Real Bread Campaign has run and partnered on events of all types and sizes around the UK, from the Rise of Real Bread, through The Uprising and Crop to Crust parts 1 and 2, to the regional BATCH events, to name just a few.

It is clear from the response to these (not to mention others including Kneading Conference, grAiNZ, UK Grain Lab, PX+ Festival and more) that there is a growing appetite amongst people behind the rise of Real Bread to get together with others. People want to spend a day or weekend with other cereal breeders, farmers, millers, bakers, researchers and campaigners/activists to share ideas, skills and knowledge.

As well as such (inter)national events, there clearly is a need and desire for smaller gatherings of communities of people with shared interest, experience and/or geography – say high street bakery owners in Yorkshire, therapeutic bakers in the south east, microbakers in the midlands, or social entrepreneurs wherever they may be.

How YOU can help

The Real Bread Campaign coordinator wants to hear from Campaign supporters and other friends who can help organise and run Real Bread related events of all sizes around the UK and elsewhere.

• Planning a large event already? Could we be partners?
• Running a small event? Could it be in the name of the Campaign and we can help promote it?
• Got a venue? Are you willing to help organise and run an affordable event in it?

All round to mine

This is an initiative of Real Bread Ireland that the Real Bread Campaign coordinator has been promoting for a couple of years now but it has yet to take off elsewhere.

The idea is that a Real Bread bakery owner invites other bakery professionals (owners and bakers) round to their place. These are informal events, at which bakers can chat about current challenges and opportunities, what they are up to, to bitch and moan...whatever, really.

Everyone has the opportunity to say what they want to the group, there might or might not be a billed speaker, and the group may break up into people just chatting in twos and threes. If there's a local pub or caff, all or some of the bakers might head there afterwards to carry on the conversations.

The group size depends on the capacity of the bakery and how many people turn up. The host provides the space, probably a loaf to slice and nibble, and maybe a cuppa.

Are you game to help with any of the above? Please email the Campaign coordinator at realbread@sustainweb.org