One Planet Food is helping to make affordable, delicious and nutritious local food more accessible to residents and helping them get fit and healthy through growing their own. The project is run by local environmental charities BioRegional and EcoLocal.
Food growing and healthy eating training
Research showed a high demand from local residents for adult food growing courses for beginners, family learning, and a need to increase knowledge about healthy eating in a fun, non-judgmental way. In answer to this, EcoLocal has developed a food growing training centre on a local allotment, where people can learn food growing skills hands-on. The team is also bringing interactive food growing, healthy eating and cooking activities out to schools and community groups and running events in local high streets. The project is also training residents to act as food ambassadors.
www.ecolocal.org.uk
Sutton’s first community farm near Carshalton and Wallington
Sutton Community Farm is a shared growing space for the local community to grow fruit and vegetables together. There are weekly activities and the farm is open to everyone of all ages, skills, experience and location. Skill sharing is encouraged and there is a range of activities from bee keeping talks to mosaics to weaving, as well as regular barbecues, bonfires and picnics each week.
Sutton Community Farm is perfect for people who don’t have enough time for their own allotment but would like to grow some food and learn new skills. The farm launched in February 2010 and provides free growing space and training. Produce from the farm is organic and very tasty, including potatoes, tomatoes, sweetcorn, squashes, lettuce, onions, courgettes to name just a few. Food is sold locally or given to helpers on the farm.
Do come and get involved at the farm, we have volunteer days every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and lots of free events for all the family.
Sutton Community Farm is located at the Woodcote smallholdings near Wallington. The address is Telegraph Track, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 0SH. Click here for directions and to find out more, visit: www.suttoncommunityfarm.org.uk
The local food network
BioRegional is talking to local producers to find ways that we can get their fresh, locally grown and produced food into Sutton’s schools and hospitals. If you are a local butcher or farmer, please get in touch with us – and if your restaurant or shop is interested in linking in then please contact Seeta Rajani: seeta.rajani@bioregional.com.
from Veg Van to Veg Box
After a happy year and a half, the Veg Van is evolving: from Veg Van to Veg Box.
It’s been an exciting year: from winning retail awards, to providing over 4,000 people with fresh local fruit and veg, to discovering £1 spent on Veg Van produce generates 84% more for the local economy, to enabling local primary school pupils and a disability college to learn new skills. However, generating enough sales in a suburban environment was always going to be challenging and we need to make sure we can continue to provide local veg in Sutton in the long term.
In partnership with Sutton Community Farm we are therefore launching a truly local veg box: a weekly bag of fresh, delicious vegetables, direct from the farm delivered, by the Veg Van, to your door. And Veg Van customers get £1 off their first order; http://www.suttoncommunityfarm.org.uk/veg-box/ contact Anna to order your box or call: 020 8404 7085.
Thank you so much for all your support – we’ve loved getting to know you and hope you can be part of this new exciting Veg Van adventure!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
This three year project is funded by the Big Lottery Local Food Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, NHS Sutton and Merton, Sutton Council and with in-kind support from Southern Railway.
The team will monitor the environmental, social and economic impacts of the programme in order gauge its effectiveness in reducing the area’s ecological footprint and benefitting the local economy.
