FIG Local Bumper Edition Winter/Spring 2012

The Food Initiatives GroupInside

n Communities for Health/FIG Small Grant Scheme: Round Upn Aspley’s Miles Better - Nottingham’s Altruistic Food Projectn Stonebridge City Farm: The Delightful Urban Retreatn It’s Sow Simple! Getting Schools Growing Conference 2012n And much more…

winter/spring2012

Editorial Communities for Health / Food Initiatives Group (FIG) Small Grant Scheme: Round-up

2

Welcome to the Winter/Spring bumper issue ofthe FIG magazine, our final edition. We willensure all back issues are up on the website andthat we upload grant opportunities to the siteon a regular basis. This last quarter has beenpretty busy. Here at FIG we are pleased toannounce the next phase of FIG in the shape ofFIG Local, a 2 year Local Food fundedGroundwork Greater Nottingham managedproject starting in April 2012. Project focus willbe on developing FIG into a Local FoodNetwork; this coordinated initiative aims torespond to food poverty across Nottinghamshireand Nottingham, by increasing access anduptake of fresh locally grown produce across 4targeted conurbations and will see thedevelopment of a producer-food growingproject-consumer directory; so, very exciting andchallenging times ahead!

This quarter I’ve personally taken an activeinvolvement in the Nottingham Local FoodPartnership monthly Urban Food Market (with astall selling sweet pancakes – Crepes c’estChouette) organised by Ecoworks’ Local FoodWorker, Nicola Hinton down on the newlyrevamped Sneinton Market.

In February we held our annual school’s growingconference, It’s SOW Simple! hosted by FIG inpartnership with the East MidlandsCommunities for Health Network and attendedby 43 representatives from school’s across theregion. The practical nature of the event andinspiring, vibrant outdoor garden venue madefor a day full of enthusiastic learning and sharedexperiences. A round up of the day can befound on page 32 of this issue.

We put the enchanting Arkwright MeadowsCommunity Gardens in the community spotlightand also give you an overview of food growinginitiatives across Nottingham City. We talk toAudrey Leach at Stonebridge City Farm abouttheir hopes and plans for future sustainability.Nicola Hinton, Local Food Worker at Ecoworksintroduces us to their new electric vehicle andwe interview a local resident with great thingsto say about the Ecoworks vegetable boxscheme. Pat Ferguson from Aspley’s Miles Bettertalks to us about the affordable monthly freshproduce market held in Aspley. Chris Firth, LocalFood Regional Co-ordinator provides us with anoverview of successful Big Lottery ‘Local Food’funded projects across Nottinghamshire and weoffer a snap shot round-up of Communities forHealth/FIG Small Grant funded projects. There’salso our regular food events update.

From a food policy perspective we take a look atthe regions response to the Government’sResponsibility Deal. There’s our regular fundingopportunities round up and an update from theClimate Friendly Gardener’s allotment site. Webring you recipes to try out from local socialentrepreneur Marsha Smith and Sneinton basedforager, Kirstie Stark.

So, without further ado! Happy reading!

Shona MunroFIG Local Project Co-ordinator & Editor

What is Communities for Health?

This initiative, supported by theDepartment of Health, was set up toencourage communities to improve theirhealth and wellbeing and sustain positivehealth-related behavioural change over thelong-term.

As part of this work, the NottinghamCommunities for Health initiative offeredlocal communities the opportunity,through FIG, to access grant funding tohelp develop new activities or expandexisting projects that improve health andwellbeing in local areas.

Through this grant process 7 projects weresupported during 2011 4 of which aredetailed below. The other 3 projects thatwere awarded funding earlier this year areyet to complete their projects. TheWorkplace is a person-centred servicebased centrally in the city, for people withlearning disabilities. The group have beenawarded funds to run a project whereservice beneficiaries will build woodenraised beds so that they can grow organicveg and early salads in the spring months.Bulwell Forest Gardens were awarded agrant to develop underused land into aproject providing a variety of resources tothe whole community. Including a working“outdoor classroom” for the school to useat specific closed off times for children tolearn about local food awareness; aseasonal programme of activities topromote community cohesion and healthyeating; and “cook and eat” sessions at keyharvesting times. The final project recipientis The Crocus Café based in Lenton thegrant will enable them to help them grow

capacity and increase effectivenessthrough a series of training workshops forstaff and volunteers at the café. Trainingwill cover: Food safety in catering;Managing volunteers; First Aid; Roles &responsibilities of board members andVolunteers and the law.

Below is an overview of the 4 projects thathave now completed since grants wereawarded earlier in 2011.

AMC/EdibleMeadows

This aim of this project was to improve thehealth of people living in the Meadowscommunity by enabling households togrow their own food. For 2011 theMeadows, as a community, had beeninvited to enter the East Midlands in BloomUrban Community Awards. The EdibleMeadows project sought to useinvolvement in these awards as a way ofworking in partnership with local groupsenabling all Meadows people, regardlessof income, to grow food at home andthereby reduce health and incomedeprivation. This work included hangingbasket workshops using edible plants,using recycled growing containers, seedcollection, growing food in the shade andgrowing food from different cultures. Allthese examples enabled people to growthe food they wanted to eat in their ownbackyards using containers and seeds theyhadn’t had to pay for.

Communities for Health / Food Initiatives Group (FIG) Grant Scheme: Round-up 4

Nottingham CommunityCafé Network

The network aims to create avibrant Nottingham CommunityCafe Network that will support

existing Community Cafes in GreaterNottingham and help new ones establishthemselves. Networking and knowledge-sharing were promoted to enable cafes tosupport each other and improve practice.The objective was to locate and buildrelationships with existing cafes, organisenetworking events and try to form a strongsteering group to come up with new ideason how the cafes can work together forthe mutual benefit of each other. Thenetwork has increased awareness ofcommunity cafes, as well as supportingthree new cafes to open (Melting Pot,Secret Kitchen and Greenway Café) andhelped Stonebridge Café to relaunch as acommunity café. They are also workingclosely with Lemon and Lime Café in theMeadows to relaunch. Furthermore, theytook part in the relaunch of SneintonMarket, with six to eight of their membersdoing a hot food court for the nowmonthly Nottingham Local Food Market.They are currently launching theCommunity Café Bingo Card loyaltyscheme.

Sherwin Road Community Garden

The garden is situated next to the railwaybridge on Sherwin Road, Lenton.Membership is open to anyone who lives,works or volunteers within two miles of thegarden and any organisations andindividuals who are interested in furtheringthe work of the group.

Members can have their own plot, share aplot, or help maintain the communal areas.

This project aims to support andencourage community gardening in thelocal area, and to grow food in a way thatis safe and sustainable.

The garden highlighted a need to growmore fruit and low maintenancevegetables in order to promote healthyeating to the local population which ismade up mainly of students in rentedaccommodation. The garden now profitsfrom a new greenhouse to help getseedlings started early in the year, and foroverwinter protection. The first crops ofapples, pears and plums are expected forsummer/early autumn.

Abundance

Abundance is a volunteer-let project thatharvests unwanted fruit from trees inNottingham and redistributes them. Itharvests fruit mainly from individualpeople’s houses, with their permission,disused allotment sites, and public spaces.It redistributes the fruit to non-profitorganisations around the city, as well as tothe volunteers involved in the harvestingand distributing. This year with the help offunding from FIG they continued toexpand their volunteer base, tree map anddistributed even more fruit. Abundance

ran eight coordinated picking days in fourdifferent areas of the city (Sneinton, ForestFields, St Anns and Lenton). Two newvolunteers were inspired by these days tobegin picks in Sherwood and Wollaton.They made a variety of jams, chutneys,juice and cider for volunteers to share. InDecember they had a social gathering totaste the cider and discuss future plans.

In February 2012 we ran the final round ofCommunities 4 Health/FIG grant fundingand the Steering group met in March toevaluate the 12 applications. Based on thescoring criteria they awarded 8 of the 12applicant’s grants. These projects are asfollows and we look forward to hearingthe evaluations and success stories later inthe year.

Emmanuel House Allotment groupprovides horticulture work therapy andactivity for the service users of EmmanuelHouse Day Centre. They were awardedfunds to increase their capacity.

Robin Hood Primary and Nursery plan tobuild and equip a poly tunnel; this is anew project based on a long term visionfor the school that every child will be ableto grow their own food and to transferthese skills where appropriate to their ownhomes, engaging theirparents.

Rise Park Primary ‘Poly tunnel project’ andTop Valley School ‘re-design of their CentreGarden’ were also grant funded. All threeof these school projects will engagefamilies and the wider community andhave ongoing long term benefits to thewellbeing of the neighbourhood.

EPIC Partners Blue Bell Hill School will run15 after school cookery classes across 3schools in Sneinton.

St Anns Community Orchard will delivertwo Workshops -'Salad Baskets' PizzaHeaven' these will involve members of thelocal community in healthy eating sessions.

AMC Gardens have developed the HealthyEating for Babies &Toddlers which isaround supporting people in thecommunity to learn about making healthyvegetable based meals for weaning babiesand toddlers. The project has beenapproved by community dietetics.

Finally, based at NUSA (NottinghamUniversity Samworth Academy school)Keys to Success have developed aprogramme of cook and eat sessions called‘Family Masterchef’ which culminate in acompetition to make a recipe that is thenjudged by the NUSA chef. The sessionsinvolve 10 primary school pupils and theirparents to engage them in easy to cookrecipes that can be replicated in the home.

We hope FIG Local will continue toadminister a grant fund on behalf ofCommunities 4 Health as there iscontinued demand and as the grantprovision proves much can be achieved inthe local community. The Steering Groupfelt that it would be beneficial to providegrant support for projects with innovativeideas with a health and social enterprisefocus.

Community Food Initiative Spotlight: AMC Gardens6

Having hosted the FIG School GrowingConference in February – It’s SOW Simple! -at Arkwright Meadows Community Gardensit stuck me how unique a space it is. Todaywe meet with Rachael Hemmings AMC’sCommunity Gardener Educator who tells uswhy it is just that; the Garden’s roots andplans for future sustainability and why everycommunity deserves a useful space with thecommunity at the heart of it.

How did AMC Gardens come about?

The Gardens are situated in the heart of theMeadows. Local residents in partnership with theheadmaster from the local GreenfieldsCommunity School decided that the piece ofthen derelict land the Gardens are on (old schoolland) needed to change to create a betterenvironment for the local community. It wasdecided that it couldn’t be used for the pupilsbecause it was in a state of disrepair andneglect.

What happened next?

With the help of Nottingham City Council aresident’s group was formed to identify how thecommunity wanted to use the space. A formalmanagement committee was formed in 1999and consultation began with Meadowsresidents, designs for the Gardens weredeveloped with the help of local children and adesign student from the local council. Clearplans began to emerge.

With help from local social enterprise groupssuch as NECTA, Business in the Community andthe local probation services, hand in hand withlocal residents and groups the infrastructure forthe gardens were created.

So when did you start working at theGardens?

In May 2005 I joined as Community GardenerEducator after the Gardens had received 18months worth of funding from the Big Lottery’s -Reaching Communities Fund. My role was andstill is, to engage with the community – to set upa volunteer programme that encourages localpeople from a mix of cultures to participate ingrowing their own food on the Gardens. Tobegin with it was quiet, no birds, no worms andfew people. Projects like this take time to take

off both in terms of natural infrastructure andpeople coming to it. I was the first full timeemployed member of staff and it took time forword to get around that the Gardens were opendaily and that there was now ‘full time’ hands-on support.

So we’re now in 2012 how has the projectdeveloped?

Massively! We have approx 6,000 visitors to thesite annually now. Our range of culturallyappropriate food that we grow on site hasgrown exponentially and our health messagesare now well established – that local people caneat locally naturally grown tasty foods at lowcost. We have won several awards from bothNottingham and Britain in Bloom and Green Flagseveral years running. We have been visited byHRH Prince of Wales and credited as a UKbeacon community project; we’ve been on TVand radio often, promoting events and ourvalues and messages. We have a diverse rangeof groups using the Garden’s, from mentalhealth to schools, to community groups from allover Nottingham and countrywide. We work inpartnership with the citywide network of foodgrowing groups and organisations acrossNottingham.

Whenever I’ve visited I've got the distinctimpression that this really is a spacenurtured and developed by the communityfor the community could you give me anexample of this?

In every corner of AMC you will see the stampsof the local people, there isn’t one bit that theyhave not embraced, had their say about, helpedout on and made what they want to make andas you can see today it is a fully functioningcommunity project.

Our Tandoor Project is a great example. It wasinstigated by a group of local people from theMuslim community who wished to use theGardens as a safe place to get together regularly.They love to cook and eat and share foodtogether. They wanted a unique project so wehelped them to source funding to build thetandoor oven. It was Democracy Week at thetime and the Council had initiated the scheme -‘Grab a Grand - vote for your project’ and wereceived a huge majority of votes following

widespread promotion. The majority of thesevotes came directly through people posting theirslips into the Gardens letter box, and votingboxes in council run centres; it was anoverwhelming response. It was clear the widercommunity could see the benefits of supportingthis group and the fact that it is a unique projectI expect really helped gather votes. We built ittogether with those women and lots of otherlocal groups, and with the help of Tim our strawbale building hero. It was great we all got ‘handson’, lime rendering the structure, each personwho helped was asked to stick a momento intothe render, these you can see today. It was abeautiful shared experience. The tandoor oven isnow open weekly for families to come and maketheir breads and skills share, and is very popularamong lots of our cultures including the verytalented Kurdish bread makers.

How are local people using the spacebecause it’s not just a garden is it?

No you’re right – it’s a community space. Asexplained we welcome a diverse range of groupsevery year. We have a garden grow planconsultation session, where local people comeand tell me why and what they would like us togrow on the Gardens. We then collectively growand then sell to local people at very nominalprices - making fresh organically grown foodaccessible to all. The gardens feature apolytunnel enabling us to extend the growingseason and to grow semi tropical fruits andveggies. We have chickens, a pond and beehivesand as a result natural ecosystems. There is afire pit for outdoor cooking and mini plotschemes for residents to tend for themselves.We offer a range of educational programmeswith a ‘living sustainably’ focus and these can beanything from teaching people how to use diytools to growing your own fruit and vegetablesin any space, on any budget. Then there’sworkshops on low cost health - cooking andenvironmental sustainability; recycling etc. Newto 2012 is our eco building called CultivatingFutures. Karen Fry has joined AMC gardens asLocal Food Educator and will be deliveringaccredited training from this building. We alsohope to develop social enterprise schemesaround our kitchen for local residents anddevising plans so that the new space brings inadditional income. We hope to achieve thisthrough renting out the space to other groups

andagencies for events,lectures and educational day trips/practical sitevisits etc. Importantly we plan to encourage localpeople to come and cook and make healthyfood for sale and also to use the building to selltheir homemade craft wares. So the building ismultipurpose and we are always up forsuggestions on how best to use the spacealways with the community in mind. We alsohost many community events from the gardensthe first for 2012 starting in May for our SpringDay on the 5th. We also have organised cyclerides from the Gardens once a week.

We have a Membership scheme - local peoplecan join and have a say at our AGM, vote oncommittee members and get regular updates foran annual free of £1. Alternatively if you liveoutside the area you can become a ‘Friend ofAMC’ for £2'. Alternatively you don’t have to bea member at all you can just come here andenjoy this urban oasis.

My job is all about facilitating for local people. Inessence I do what they tell me and I couldn’t behappier as it’s such a rewarding job. I see peopledeveloping and learning in a way they don’teven realise – they are learning organically –naturally embedding new knowledge

Thank you for your time Rachael it’s been apleasure learning more. If you’d like to visit orget involved at AMC Gardens yourself here’s theaddress: Kirkby Gardens, The Meadows

Nottingham NG2 2HZ Telephone 0115 986 7777www.amcgardens.co.uk

Food Policy: Responsibility Deal8

The East Midlands Platform on Food,Physical Activity and Health signed up tothe national public health responsibilitydeal at a recent meeting. The Platform is acollective of organisations from private,public voluntary and community sectors,working together to promote health, getpeople moving more and eating better.Each member organisation makes acommitment to actions they will take tocontribute towards improvements –whether focussing on children or adults,community or workplace programmes. Asummary of commitments can be foundon the Platform website:www.regionalplatform.org.uk togetherwith more information about the Platform,links and resources.

The Public Health Responsibility Deal waslaunched on 15th March 2011 and aims totackle a number of the key challenges topublic health through partnership workingand voluntary agreements between theGovernment, business and the voluntarysector. The Deal consists of corecommitments and supporting pledgesthrough which partners commit to takeactions to improve public health. TheResponsibility Deal covers food, physicalactivity, alcohol, health in the workplace,and behaviour change, where there maybe opportunities to work more effectivelyin partnership than through top-downGovernment intervention. Signatories toDeal have been asked to sign up to:

n all of the core commitments and thesupporting pledges;

n as many collective pledges as possiblebut with a minimum requirement ofone; and

n any individual pledges which they haveagreed with the network chair.

A full list of the pledges, organisations andsupportive statements can be found at:http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Publichealthresponsibilitydeal/index.htm

As a network organisation the Platformmembers agreed to sign up to the pledgeto promote the Chief Medical Officersguidelines on taking 150 minutesmoderate intensity physical activity as itwas something that all memberorganisations irrespective of their rolescould publicise. An individual pledgearound sharing the Platform model as ameans of localising the Responsibility Dealis currently being developed.

Resources and a list of Top Tips developedas part of the Platform seminar on EatingWell at Work held earlier this month willshortly be added to the website.

Anyone interested in finding out moreabout how to join the Platform for Health &Wellbeing( new name from April) and linkwith the wide range of members pleaseemail: [email protected] ortel. 07930 386 781.

Platform signs up to the PublicHealth Responsibility Deal

Every little helps is the sloganfamiliarised by the multinationalgiant, Tesco, yet on a local level,social entrepreneur Pat Fergusonshows us how small is beautifuland how every little can reallymake a massive difference.

Aspley’s Miles Better was set up in 2009 by locallady, Pat Ferguson. Her vision was to provide anaffordable fresh food market for local people toaccess on their doorstep. Pat has workedtirelessly over the last 3 years and now has twoaltruistic allotment holders with a third in thepipeline, providing her with gluts of seasonalproduce to sell on at nominal cost. Aspley’sMiles Better meets monthly at the SalvationArmy on the last Thursday of every monthbetween 10am-12pm. Today we take a fewminutes to chat with Pat about her motivationfor giving up her time to provide a service thatreaches people threatened by fresh foodpoverty.

What encouraged you to set up such aninspiring project?

Basically it seemed like such a common senseidea. Sourcing local produce and selling it to thelocal community at a very affordable price. Alsoto generate stronger community contacts;provide a meeting place for people to go to forcompany and to share ideas. It’s at a point nowwhere we know our regulars. Ron and Angelaalways look for the beetroot. In fact the hostvenue – Salvation Army – has over the last yearestablished its own allotment and will soon startto provide us with surplus produce. So it’screated some great synergy.

What are your plans for the future?

We could really do with getting more allotmentholders on board. Allotment holders in theSouth of the City have expressed a keen interestin supplying us with veg – and also with honey and eggs. If we had enough surpluses tosell on we could hold a market more frequently.This is what I’d really like to be able to offer.

What assistance and support do you needto help the project grow?

As explained we need more allotment holderson board dropping off surplus at the SalvationArmy. Any left over stock from the market theSalvation Army continue to sell on – so there isabsolutely no waste. I would like to see thisreplicated in other communities. It’s the socialcontact – where there are lots of senior citizens Icannot stress how important a lifeline projectslike this are for those who may not see peoplefor weeks on end. They come to buy smallamounts of fruit and veg maybe 2 tomatoes, 2carrots, 3 potatoes, a few strawberries we(Mary, the lady who volunteers on Aspley’s MilesBetter, with me) always ask their names and wealways remember them – it’s so valuable, crucialand it’s really appreciated. It’s not just anopportunity to buy fresh fruit and veg in small‘just enough’ volume but the chance to have acup of tea, a good laugh and feel connected totheir community. For me I can’t stress theimportance of this.

For more information of how you can supportthis project please email Pat [email protected] or alternativelycall her on 07905 768908

Aspley’s Miles Better – Salvation ArmyAspley Lane, Nottingham NG8 5RR; 1stThursday of every month 10am-12pm

Aspley’s Miles Better: Nottingham’s Altruistic Food Project

Eat Local: Local Food Markets & Local Food Growing Initiatives 10

Organised by East Midlands Fine Foods in conjunction with Nottingham City Council:

Nottingham Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market is running at Nottingham Market Square.

Opening times: 9.00am - 4.30pm Venue: Old Market Square

Come and Savour the East Midlands Flavour!

www.eastmidlandsfinefoods.co.uk

The Nottingham Regional & Speciality Food and Drink Market is run by East Midlands Fine Foods inconjunction with Nottingham City Council. The Nottingham Regional and Speciality Food and DrinkMarket offers city shoppers a taste of regional produce and speciality food and drink producers theopportunity to sell their products direct to the public.

Launched in April 2007 the market has successfully established itself as a vibrant destination for awide range of high quality local and regional produce. It has build up a strong crowd of regularcustomers and is credited with bringing thousands of extra visitors into the city.

Products eligible for sale on the market must be produced in the region or have value added here.Located in Nottingham’s Old Market Square, the market takes place on the third Friday and Saturdayof each month between 9am and 4.30pm. Stalls start from £99.

If you are an East Midlands-based food or drink producer and are interested in having a stall pleasecall The Food and Drink Forum office on 0115 975 8810, [email protected]

Dates:April 2012 20th & 21stMay 2012 18th & 19thJune 2012 15th & 16thJuly 2012 20th & 21stAugust 2012 17th & 18thSeptember 2012 21st & 22ndOctober 2012 20th & 21st

As well as the Nottingham Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market there are many other foodand drink markets which take place across the East Midlands.

Town Location Telephone Date per monthMansfield Buttercross Market 01623 463733 3rd TuesdaySouthwell Market Place 01623 82200 2nd FridayNewark Market Place 01623 882200 4th ThursdayNottingham City Market Square 0115 975 8810 3rd Friday & SaturdayWest Bridgford Central Avenue 01623 882200 2nd & 4th SaturdayWollaton Co-op Trowell Road 0115 9873933 1st SaturdayBeeston Stoney St. Sainsbury’s 01623 882200 4th FridayBingham The Buttercross 01476 593969 3rd SaturdayRadcliffe On Trent Black Lion Main Road 01623 882200 3rd SaturdayRetford Exchange Street 01623 882200 3rd Saturday

The next Nottingham Local Food Partnership Urban Food Market held on Sneinton Market will be on

Saturday 28th April 10am-3pm featuring streetfood, outdoor café, music and meeting space,locally grown, locally sourced fresh fruit & veg,meats, cheeses, breads, eggs, live cookingdemos, crepes, chutneys, gifts, plants, seeds &expert growing advice. There’s also 1 hour freeparking. To enquire about becoming a stallholder contact Nicola Hinton at Ecoworks on0115 962 2200

Ecoworks

Old Upper School, Brewsters Road, St.Anns,Nottingham NG3 3AG Tel: 0115 9622200website: www.ecoworks.org.uk

Based in the heart of Nottingham, Ecoworksprovides a weekly 'locally grown, locallysourced' veg scheme. We keep food miles downby delivering to collection points across the city.We can also deliver to your place of work.

Ecoworks also grow high quality leaf salad andherbs using organic practices, as well as offeringfreshly prepared seasonal cakes to cafes andrestaurants from the Ecoworks Kitchen. We willsoon be launching a mobile local food stallacross the city using a bespoke electric vehicle -contact us for more details.

Crocus cafe

2 Church Square, Nottingham, NG7 1SL Tel:0115 9505080 Website: www.crocuscafe.com

Crocus cafe is a volunteer-led community cafespecializing in healthy and affordable vegetarianand vegan food that is locally-sourced, fairtradeand organic where possible.

Stonebridge City Farm

Stonebridge Road, St Anns, Nottingham, NG32FR

Tel: 0115 950 5113

Email: [email protected]

Stonebridge City Farm sells its own producefrom the farm's shop here on site. This includesall pesticide-free fruit and vegetables when theyare in season, along with jams, chutneys, honeyetc., all of which we produce ourselves. Eggs

from our own free-range hens, ducks andtukeys are also available as well as a range ofhome-made cakes in our cafe. Locally grownfood is used in the farm cafe.

Further details may be found on our website,www.stonebridgecityfarm.com

Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens

Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens,Kirkby Gardens, The Meadows Nottingham.NG2 2HZ 0115 986 7777www.amcgardens.co.uk

Gardens are now operating the Winter openingtimes

Open Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs 9am till dusk.

Very low cost seasonal organically grown fruitand vegetables.

Come out with our staff to pick your producestraight from the gardens.

Community Gardens, AllotmentsSites and Farms


In 2001, Arkwright Meadows CommunityGardens was created by local Meadowsresidents coming together to transform part ofthis disused, unloved, rubbish-strewn playingfield into a beautiful green space for the localpeople to use. The community garden is a greenspace for local residents and people from thecity to enjoy; a place of learning, relaxation,recreation - an area to have pride in and haveownership of.

Bulwell Forest Community Garden

Bulwell Forest Garden is a community gardenrun by local residents, in partnership withCantrell Primary School adjoined to the site hasexclusive access to the project 3 times a week.There are also communal growing plots, awildlife area, educational workshops andcommunity events. In the next phase of theproject will include the development of asensory area and outdoor classroom space.

Barbara Bates 0115 [email protected]

12

Bulwell Hall Community Gardens

Community gardens growing and supplyingfruit and vegetables and promoting healthyeating to the local community, especiallychildren and young people. The project involveslocal schools, the youth service and other localgroups and plans to hold celebratory events andactivities.

Patrick Duffy182 Grindon Crescent Bulwell Hallestate Nottingham 0783 748 3388

Dig In Community Allotment

Dig In is a community allotment run by localpeople for the benefit of local people.

Dig In runs volunteer sessions on Wednesdayand Saturday that are open for any localresidents to come and join. Volunteering withDig In can involve as much or as little time asyou would like to give and there are manydifferent ways you can be involved, whateveryour skills and ability. If you want to grow yourown food, learn new skills, meet people, keepactive, help at events or be part of themanagement committee - there something foreveryone.

Community or school groups can also getinvolved to enjoy the pond and communal areasor work on their own area. We have workedwith local schools and a number oforganisations, such as Groundwork, E2E,Surestart, British Trust for ConservationVolunteers, the Probation Service and the YouthOffending service.

It runs from the Albany allotments on PastureRoad in Stapleford, Nottingham Dig Incommunity allotment, Pasture Road, Stapleford(entrance by the bus stop, close to the ‘Man ofIron’ pub.).

For further information, call Kathy on 0115 875 2095.

Ecoworks

Ecoworks is a community organisation based inSt. Ann's Allotments, Brewsters Road CommunityGarden and the Permaculture in Practice site, allin Nottingham. Across the sites we have aproductive market garden and training centre; apermaculture-based community garden with astraw-bale house where all are welcome,specialising in supporting those with mentalhealth issues; a community centre withalittlements, training room, training kitchen andoffices; and the UKs largest new forest gardeningproject (over 13 acres). Volunteering and trainingactivities take place on all sites, welcoming allcomers to meet new people, enjoy nature andlearn new things, including food production,nature conservation, healthy cooking, sustainablebuilding and crafts. All visitors are welcome andwe are always keen to chat. Give us a call, or seeour website for more information.

Ecoworks harvest cafe open on Sundays duringsummer. (Vegetarian)

Old Upper School, Brewsters Road, St.Anns,Nottingham NG3 3AG Tel: 0115 9622200

Edwalton Primary School Farm

A primary school which has developed a smallfarm animal unit for over 20 years. The animalsare looked after by the children all the yearround. The farm started with bees and bantamsand has gradually evolved to include a widevariety of birds and animals. Facilities includesallotments, outdoor classrooms, sensory gardenand 3.5 acre woodland with pond.

Edwalton School, Wellin Lane, Edwalton.Nottingham. NG12 4AS

Emmanuel House Day Centre (Allotment)

Day centre working predominately with homelessadults. As part of a social inclusion initiative, thecentre took over an overgrown allotment and setup an allotment group for visitors and volunteersto get involved growing fruit and vegetables andenabling positive interaction through gardening.Hot drinks available. Additional refreshments atevents when held.

Friary Drop In Allotments

The Drop-In was started in July 1988 to providesupport, advice and friendship for vulnerablepeople living in the Musters Hotel (nowdemolished) or in temporary accommodation.

It is a growing ecumenical venture that relies onstrong volunteer support and also effective linkswith the statutory agencies serving the needs ofhomeless and vulnerable people. Up to 100people of all ages attend each session. They runan allotment for more information aboutvolunteering contact

Based on Kingswood Road Allotment contactRob Bacon, Allotment Supervisor Tel: 0115 9825448

Framework Allotments

Two different allotments growing vegetables andfruit, offering a quiet, open space, friendshipand gardening opportunities for homeless,vulnerably housed and socially excluded groups.

Graeme Green 0115 841 7711

Nottingham Organic Gardeners

Are a gardening group, aiming to promoteorganic gardening, sustainable gardening and amore localised food culture. They have ademonstration garden where they showdifferent styles of gardening; from formal bedsto a more mixed polyculture. They have 'workparties' at the garden, where people can learngardening skills or come along to ask us a fewquestions, and a monthly talk.

Ros Pither/Karen Fry Wilkinson Street HysonGreen Nottingham 07946464770

St Anns Allotment Project (STAA)

The St Anns Allotments, Nottingham, is a veryspecial and unique allotment site. It is the oldestand largest area of Victorian detached towngardens in the world and has recently been listedwith a Grade 2* by English Heritage. The sitecovers 75 acres and sits in the heart of the oneof the most deprived inner-city communities inthe country. A group of allotment gardeners

now work to conserve and enhance the historicallotment gardens of St Anns, by managing theallotments and developing on site projects. Thereare various community projects onsite, includinga community orchard.

STAA runs a Community Orchard project on acollection of plots on the St Ann's Allotments. Itis a lively hub of educational and community life,with a forest schools ethos, centered on localchildren and families. Activity days are held onthe third Sunday of every month.

Sycamore Centre/31 Hungerhill Rd NottinghamNG3 4NB

0115 911 0207

St Anns Community Orchard

STAA runs a Community Orchard on a collectionof plots on the St Ann's Allotments. It is a livelyhub of educational and community life centredon local children and families.

The Orchard provides a safe, natural and excitingplace for people to learn and explore. Much ofour work focuses on children varying in age fromnurseries to secondary schools. Educationalactivities include gardening, construction,management of the environment and arts andcrafts. Occasionally the site provides a learningspace for gardeners on-site too. We run freesessions such as tree pruning and otherhorticultural skills.

The Community Orchard is also a place wherewe hold regular Activity Days and other openevents. At these we focus on looking after thesite, providing informal activities (especially forchildren) and seasonal events such as the annualApple Day celebrations and our WinterExtravaganza. It's a great opportunity for thepublic to come and explore the orchard, to trynew skills, and to sample some of our food anddrink around the fire.

Rachel Brooke [email protected]

3 John Folman Centre, Hungerhill Road, St Anns,Nottingham, NG3 4NB

Telephone: 0115 9110207

14

Stonebridge City Farm

Stonebridge City Farm is a green oasis situatedin St Anns in the heart of inner city Nottingham.Attractions include farm animals, an extensiveand diverse range of gardens, a children's playarea, a cafe, farm shop and a nature trail. Aswell as being popular with visitors, we alsooperate as a training centre offering practicalwork experience and courses in horticulture andanimal care and specialising in working withdisadvantaged groups.

Audrey Leach Stonebridge Road, St Anns,Nottingham, NG3 2FR

Tel: 0115 950 5113

Summerwood Community Garden

Summerwood Community Garden was set up in2007 by local community groups andvolunteers. Following a successful lottery bidfrom the Local Food Grant it has officiallybecome Clifton’s first Community Garden.Theyprovide a relaxing environment for localresidents and community groups to grow fruitand vegetables in a fun and sociable way. Werun a variety of workshops in organic fruit andvegetable growing, wildlife gardening and artsand crafts.They also hold regular events toencourage people to get together and have fun.Many of their open days include apple pressing,plant and seed swaps and healthy cookingdays.They offer a wide range of volunteeringopportunities from basic horticulture to wildlifegardening and conservation.

They work with a number of local schools, daycare centres, play and children centres, youthgroups, older peoples groups and localresidents. It is important to the group thateveryone has the opportunity to get involvedwhich is why they ensure SummerwoodCommunity Garden is accessible to the wholecommunity.Summerwood Community Garden isin Clifton about 5 miles south of Nottinghamcity centre. For more information please contact:

Emma 07944 124423 or Leo 07816 [email protected]

www.summerwood.org.uk

The Partnership Council –Green Power Team

A team of environmental volunteers who workacross Nottingham to help set up, maintain anddevelop community gardens, allotments andgreen spaces - and it could make a hugedifference to your life!

The Green Power Team meets twice a week atthe Partnership Council. From here, the teamvisits a wide range of sites around Nottingham.For instance, we’ve helped at the SummerwoodLane Community Garden in Clifton, aCommunity Food Garden in Sherwood andBulwell Hall Community Garden.

The kind of tasks that volunteers help withinclude preparing the soil, improving soilstructure, composting, mulching, weeding andclearing areas, creating wooden planters andraised beds, seed sowing, planting, pruning andharvesting.

You don’t need any previous experience ofgardening to get involved and we’ll providelunch and travel tickets. If you’re unemployed,at risk of redundancy, or in a low-paid, low-skilled part-time job and you’d like to changecareer - the Green Power Team can help you!

To find out more about the Green Power Teamplease call Dori Kirchmair on 0115 970 8200 oremail [email protected]

The Family Church Community Allotment

Based on Whitemoor Allotments

Situated between New Basford and Whitemoorand nestling between the Tram Depot and theRing Road, Whitemoor Allotments occupyaround 17 acres of land just over 2 miles fromNottingham City Centre. The main gate is onWilkinson Street but there's another gate at theother end of the site off Western Boulevard

For information about allotment activitiescontact Roger Robb on 07946464770

Welbeck Road, Long Eaton FlagshipAllotment Project

Since 1991, the award winning Welbeck RoadFlagship Allotment Project aims to showcase acollection of community projects which aid localsustainability and enhance the localenvironment.

Projects include: Community Orchard,Hedgelaying, Hazel Coppice, Low Cost SelfBuild Poly tunnel Greenhouses, FarmersMarkets, Wildlife Pond, Community Poly tunnelGreenhouse, Composting, Specialised GardenTools, Allotment Fruit Tree Nursery andClubhouse. The latest project is a pilotAquaculture project, in which food fish aregrown in a solar powered facility. The WelbeckRoad Allotments Association gives tours of thesite and projects. On site training sessions arehosted on: growing in poly tunnels,hedgelaying, composting, fruit tree pruning andgrafting, tree planting, etc. The Association alsogives presentations to conferences, allotmentsocieties, local schools and other green groups.Funding comes from Agenda 21, Shell, etc.

Mike Gosnall Welbeck Road AllotmentsAssociation Trust 0115 9393840

Windmill Gardens Community Allotment

Windmill Community Gardens is a secret gardenat the heart of the community aroundBobbersmill. Our 'Climate Friendly Gardener's'project helps volunteers and groups to learnabout practical fruit and veg growing in achanging climate.

Windmill Allotment Site, Bobbersmill.Nottingham Contact Tracey Lloyd 0115 9648804

Local Food Events, Training & Visits16

Dig-In (Stapleford’s) event news

After Easter, ie from15th April we are going to startSaturday opening as well as the regular Wednesdaysessions. !0 - 12.

'Come Cook With Me' sessions on site 1st Wednesdayin June (6th), July (4th), August (1st) & September(5th), 10-1

Ring to book 07943 700 302 or through the website

Apple Day: Sat 22nd September 11-3 (No need tobook)

Pumpkin Day: Sat 27th October 11-3 (No need tobook)

check out www.diginstapleford.org.uk andhttp://digincommunityallotmentblogspot.com

Invitation to ‘Grow Your Own’ event atWoodthorpe Grange

Following the success of last year’s event, NottinghamCity Council would like to invite FIG to take part inGROW YOUR OWN, a celebration of Allotment,Community Garden and backyard food growing,taking place at Woodthorpe Grange Park on Sunday16th September between 10am and 3pm.

The event will be based around Woodthorpe’s plantnursery and the old walled garden and will be anopportunity for people involved in growing their ownfood - and those thinking about growing their own - tofind out more about what is happening locally, plus lotsof hints and tips from local experts and some funactivities.

We hope that you can support this event and help itbecome a regular fixture on the city’s calendar. Therewill be no charge for Not-for-profit groups that wish toexhibit.

Who / what will be there?

Fruit and veg displays from Allotment Associations andCommunity Gardens (with a bit of friendlycompetition!)

Community Gardens and similar local food growingprojects

Surplus produce sales

Family activities

Local experts

History Projects

Phone 0115 876 4985

Fax 0115 876 3132

[email protected]


Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens, KirkbyGardens, The Meadows Nottingham. NG2 2HZ 0115986 7777 www.amcgardens.co.uk

The Grand Opening of Our Eco Building and SpringDay will be held on May 5th 1.00pm - 4.00pm.

Groundwork Greater Nottingham Training -Introduction to Garden Horticulture

Groundwork Greater Nottingham conductsIntroduction to Garden Horticulture Entry 3 courseevery year for local people to give practicaldemonstrations developing the gardens/allotments.The course focuses on preparing outside growing beds;things that could grow; caring for plants and workingwith others and improving own learning. To learnmore please contact Stephen Community & VolunteerCoordinator at Groundwork on 0115 9648800

Summerwood Community Garden Monday’s and Friday’s are volunteer days. A calendar ofevents and workshops will be available in the comingweeks please contact Emma on 07944 124423 formore information.

http://www.summerwood.org.uk/events/Summerwood Lane Clifton Nottingham NG11 9DR

Windmill Community Gardens hosting theirScarecrow Festival

Come down to Windmill Community Gardens andlearn about scarecrows – the ultimate natural pestcontrol.

Design your own scarecrow competition on Thursday10th May 11-12 noon with the exhibition taking placeon Saturday 12th May 11am-2pm for further detailscontact Tracey Climate Friendly Gardeners coordinatoron 0115 9788212 or [email protected]

Nottingham Organic Gardeners (NOGs) is a friendlylocal group in Nottingham, aiming to promote organicgardening, sustainable gardening and a more localisedfood culture. 2012 is our 25th year! We've got someexciting plans for later in the year, so watch this space.In the meantime, if you were involved in the earlyyears, why not get in touch and let us know? Those ofus involved more recently would love to hear about itand maybe see photos.

We meet every month for sociable talks about organicgardening and related issues, learning from speakersand also pooling our own knowledge.

In summer we have visits to organic gardens andfarms.

Sunday 1st July

Coach trip to Cambridge Botanic Gardens. 8.30amcoach from Hotel Deux, arriving in Cambridge in plentyof time for a guided tour of the Gardens at 11am.

£20 per person to include coach travel, admission andcost of guided tour.

£10 deposits to Bethan (via contact page the websiteif needed [email protected]).

Contact NOGs Chairman Barrie Ward 0115 9602324or email

St Anns Community Orchard

FREE Open Access Activity Days third Sunday of everymonth 11am-4pm Environmental arts, firesideactivities, free hot soup. Contact Richard [email protected] 01159110207

STAA St Anns Allotments

We have two big open days a year when you canwalk freely around the site, with lots of activities forall the family

St Anns Allotments Spring Open Day

Sunday 20th May 2012

11am - 4pm

The Community Orchard, Ecoworks, GardenOrganic, Urban Nature and individual gardenerswill offer a range of activities including tours ofthe gardens and wildlife areas, Harvest Cafe,produce sale, workshops for children and adultsand more

Heritage Open Day

Sunday 9th September 2012

Celebrate the unique history of the site.

More details to follow

The allotments are located about a mile fromthe city centre and can be accessed viaWoodborough Road, Hungerhill Road andRansom Road.

0115 9110207

Nottingham Local Foodpartnership Urban Food Market

Saturday 28 April and Saturday 26 May 10-3pm

The Leisure Centre has opened. The fountains are onand for those in a rush, free 1hr parking. NLFP will beexpanding its outdoor cafe area ideal for a meet andcatch up, whilst being surrounded by lovely locallygrown, locally produced fresh as well as bakedproduce. Taste some real street food, choose from awide selection of organic breads and meats, or samplesome real cheese. Best place to also get some simplebut great, grow your own advice.

Sneinton Market Place NG1 1DW To discuss becominga stall holder contact Nicola Hinton on 0115 962 2200

‘Skill Up with Gardening’ At Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens FREE seven week course, one day a week Tuesdays 17th April to 29th May, 10am-3pm • Learn to grow salads, vegetables and flowers • Sve money, eat healthily, get fresh air • Get a Level 1 qualification • Improve your employability

You must be 19 or over, unemployed for at least 6 months and claiming benefits. Please contact us for more details. Booking is essential!

lCalll us on 0115 9867777 Or email us on [email protected]. Our pop into AMCgardens on Kirkby Gardens, The Meadows. (Next to SureStart). We’re open from 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Thursday.

Stonebridge City Farm: The Delightful Urban Retreat18

I took some time out to visit themost charming Stonebridge CityFarm last week set in the heart ofSt Anns - a widely recogniseddeprived conurbation - close toNottingham City. I met with LocalFood worker, Audrey Leach tolearn more about the foodgrowing part of farm activity andhow increasing membership iscritical to sustainable growth andongoing promotion.

Historically the farm has relied on a mix ofsmall funding grants; today they aim toraise 60% of revenue through pureincome generation. This is achieved partlythrough shop sales, workshop fees, caféand Fine Dining Night revenues, TheNottingham Local Food Partnership UrbanMarket and other markets – which alsohelp to raise the farms profile. Much ofAudrey’s time has been focused ondelivering outreach support to projects,organisations and residents in the localcommunity, providing growing advice andskills development to Nottingham BlindSociety, SureStart, Probation Service andold age homes to name a few. Thissupport has been invaluable to thesegroups many of whom now have theirown community growinggardens/allotments up and running. As anexample, Cherry Trees Residential Homehas since developed a social enterprise inconjunction with the community paybackteam which grow vegetables in the groundand sell the surplus.

Audrey has introduced the Square FootGarden scheme based on Karina Wells(Transition West Bridgford’s and SharedGardens) idea of the Bridgford Instant

Garden. The Square Foot Garden isoriginally an idea developed about 20years ago by American grower, MelBartholomew. There is a great feature onthe Garden Organic website explaininghow to construct and plan this highlyproductive growing garden.http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/gh_sqft.php.

In fact Audrey and her team will begrowing all the plug plants for theBridgford Instant Garden (BIG project) toget West Bridgford growing their ownvegetables. The Square Foot Garden is amarvellous idea for getting local peoplegrowing seasonal produce at home in theirown yards and gardens regardless ofavailable space. You literally buy the packwhich includes plug plants, raised bedframe and compost and away you go. Theraised bed is split into 16 separate growingmodules – so plenty of choice across thegrowing seasons. This system introducescompanion growing along with croprotation. Audrey is passionate about the

links between mental health and foodgrowing. The nurturing, tending, andseasonal changes and the subsequenteating of naturally grown, nutritionallydense vegetables are great for positivehealth and wellbeing. Audrey’s ambitionsare to make the farm a real communityhub where people can meet and socialiseand use the farm to put on events theywant to get involved in. In recent monthsthe Viking Encampment group have heldan event there, they’ve had bikemaintenance workshops, exotic seedworkshops and health and wellbeing dayall attended well by members of thecommunity. As they already have the caféwhich is run by Farm Member volunteersand paid cook worker, Kristina there is alot of scope for developing grow, cook andeat sessions to encourage the uptake ofmore fresh fruit and vegetables, affordablemeals locally. Audrey also has plans toexpand the growing areas to increase thefarms capacity to grow crops. The farmgardens are currently made up of a varietyof growing plots, a ‘sponsored’ sensorygarden, a world garden kitchen, an insectgarden and honey farm; communitygroups also participate in looking aftervarious areas of the garden.

Audrey runs a Sunday volunteers groupwhich has proved a real success. Some ofthe volunteers are members of “Friends ofthe Farm” who each pay a subscription of£10 per year and value the opportunity tocome together in a tranquil space to carryout activities to help the Farm becomemore sustainable. This includes helping outin the shop that currently sells plug plants,seeds, jams, pickles (made from produceon site), bees wax candles. Volunteermembers also help out on the Marketstalls, on play and farm events and tendingto the growing plats and polytunnels. An

increase in the uptake of membership,something FIG local will be helpingStonebridge City Farm to achieve this year,from 80 to 200 members will helpenormously, both towards contributiontowards running costs and also in theamount of volunteer members available tohelp develop farm and food growingactivities.

It really was a pleasure meeting withAudrey, a highly skilled and enthusiasticgardener/food grower. I look forward tovisiting the Farm when Spring has properlysprung to see crops in full bloom.

To enquire about becoming a member at£10 per year and member benefits thencontact Audrey Leach [email protected] oron 0115 950 5113. To visit the Farm theaddress is Stonebridge Rd, St. Ann’sNottingham NG3 2FR.

Check out theStonebridge City farm blog for a list ofFarm based eventshttp://www.stonebridgecityfarm.com/ andother information.

Bridgford Instant Gardens Schemehttp://www.instantgardening.co.uk/

20

When did you first get the bug forforaging?

I first took a real interest in foraging when Imoved from London to Nottingham andsuddenly realised what an abundant larder wasnow on my door step. I would go out walking inthe woods and parks near by and see loads ofwild fruit growing, I found a great blackberryspot which reminded me of autumn days as achild spent picking berries with my mother backin Northern Ireland. She would make the mostamazing blackberry and apple jelly (seedless jam)as well as lovely crumbles and I felt inspired tohave a go myself, then one thing led to another.

So you live in the community of Sneinton -East Nottingham. What does Sneinton haveto offer in terms of wild foods to forage?

Sneinton is great for foraging, you have abeautiful ancient woodland and the lovelyColwick Park on your door step and both haveplenty to offer from apples to berries. So far Ihave picked Blackberries, Sloe berries,Elderberries, numerous types of Apples,Elderflowers, Plums and if you find them quickenough there are even wild raspberries to behad. I have also spotted but not yet tried,Rosehips, Burdock and Rowen berries. I'm surethere are loads more to discover though, inparticular I would really like to find some localDamson trees.

What have you had a go at producing?

So far I have made: Blackberry & Apple jelly,Apple, Pear & Cinnamon jelly, Damson jam,Damson chutney, Elderberry Chutney, Sloe jelly,Blackberry sorbet (really nice) Elderflower cordial,Elderberry, Plum & Apple cordial, Elderberrycordial, and many variations there of.

What is the product you have most enjoyedmaking?

I really like making the elderflower cordial as it isso easy and the finished product is versatile andalso divine. Next down the list would be any ofthe jams/jellies as I really like the slow step bystep process you have to follow to end up with adecent jelly.

When's the best season to forage?

By far the end of Summer into Autumn as all thefruit is out and about and it generally doesn't allcome at once so you can go from week to weekfinding different fruits that are ready for picking.

What do you spend in addition for say abatch of elderflower cordial?

Very little indeed. The only extra ingredients arecitric acid, sugar and lemons, so less than £2 tomake 1.5 litres, to buy a bottle of elderflowercordial in the shops you can pay anywhere from£4 to £7 for 75cl bottle.

Any thing else you'd like to add?

I would encourage everyone to get out and walkaround and see what you can find but please beresponsible, don't take too much from one area,make sure you leave enough for all the animalswho rely on these food sources. Make sure youknow what you are picking, a quick bit ofresearch either in books or online is all you willneed to go out safely and never pick near a roadside. Finally respect the country side and leaveno trace.

Thank you Kirstie for this inspiring account. Youmay wish to contact The Nottingham Local FoodPartnership and take a stall at their monthlyurban food market once you've accumulatedenough stock. As seen as the market is locatedin the heart of Sneinton. Just a thought! Manythanks.

Kirstie Stark: First Foray into Foraging

Ingredients

✽ 30 elderflower heads

✽ 1.7litres/3 pints boiling water

✽ 900g/2lb caster sugar

✽ 50g/2oz citric acid (available from Asian

supermarkets, also from chemists but it will be m

ore

expensive there)

✽ 2 unwaxed oranges, sliced (optional)

✽ 3 unwaxed lemons, sliced

Preparation method

1. Gently rinse over the elderflowers to remove a

ny dirt

or little creatures.

2. Pour the boiling water over the sugar in a very

large

mixing bowl. Stir well and leave to cool.

3. Add the citric acid, the orange and lemon slice

s, and

then the flowers.

4. Leave in a cool place for 24 - 48 hours, stirring

occasionally.

5. Strain through some muslin and transfer to ster

ilised

bottles.

Elderflower Cordial

Ingredients

✽ 2lbs/900gms of apples (windfalls or any apples arefine for this recipe)

✽ 2lbs/900gms of blackberries

✽Water (see method below)

✽White granulated sugar (the amount depends onthe volume of juice extracted from the simmered,drained fruit. 1pt/500ml of juice to 1lb/454gms ofsugar).

Preparation method

1. Wash the apples, cut out bruised bits and choproughly. There is no need to peel and core theapples.

2. Pick over the blackberries, reject any that are tattyand remove any stalks.

3. Place fruit in a large deep heavy bottomedsaucepan, or preserving pan. Add water to cover ½of the fruit.

4. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer very gently untilall the fruit is soft and squishy. This takes about 15minutes, depending on how ripe the fruit is.

5. Pour the cooked fruit into a jelly bag and leave todrip into a bowl overnight. This is traditionally apiece of sterilised muslin.

6. The next day, measure the extracted fruit juice andpour it into a deep heavy bottomed saucepan. Add454g/1lb of white granulated sugar for each570ml/1 pt of juice. Try to avoid squeezing the jellybag as this can make the jelly cloudy.

7. Heat the juice and sugar gently, stirring from time totime. Make sure that that all the sugar has dissolvedbefore bringing the liquid slowly to the boil.Continue to boil hard for about 5-10 minutes beforetesting for a set. If the jelly hasn’t set, continue toboil and teat for a set at three minute intervals.Occasionally a jelly or jam will set very quickly, whenthis occurs you will notice that the sides of the panhave a coating of jelly and the back of the spoon iscoated too. If you spot this, remove the pan fromthe heat immediately and test for set.

8. Toss in a nugget of butter towards the end to reducethe frothing that often occurs.

9. When jelly has reached setting point pour into warmsterilised jars using a funnel and ladle

10. Cover immediately with plastic lined screw top lidsor cellophane tops secured with a rubber band.

11. Label when cold and store in a cool, dark place.Away from damp.

Blackberry & Apple Jelly

Current Funding Opportunities22

Funder: The Esmée FairbairnFoundation

Its aim is to improve the quality of lifethroughout the UK.

The Foundation does this by funding thecharitable activities of organisations thathave the ideas and ability to achievechange for the better. They take pride insupporting work that might otherwise beconsidered difficult to fund.

Their primary interests are in the arts,education and learning, the environmentand enabling disadvantaged people toparticipate fully in society.

N.B: Esmee Fairbairn Food Strand,currently reviewing learning fromprevious projects. Info on how they arecarrying this forward is expected in late2011.

Grants Under £10,000

To learn more:http://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/funding/index.html

Funder: Allotment RegenerationInitiative – Site Visits Travel Bursary

An award of up to £300 is available forup to six people to visit a specifiedallotment site.

Applicants must be an allotmentassociation, community organisation,councillor or council officer in the UK,engaged in allotment regeneration.

Application Process:

Funders Aims/Objectives:

The aims of the ARI are as follows:

n Support and develop allotmentsregeneration and the creation of newallotment sites in the UK.

n Gather and disseminate informationregarding good practice in allotmentsmanagement.

n Maintain and develop profile ofallotments with public andgovernment.

n Encourage sustained delegatedmanagement by allotment associationsas the primary volunteer andcommunity-based actor in allotmentregeneration.

To learn more:http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari/grants/travel-bursaries-mainmenu-84?task=view

For an application form clickbelow:http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari/documents/ARI_Site_Visits_Travel_Bursary_Application_Form.doc

Applications must be submitted [email protected] and post to: Enquiries

Exclusions:

Although there are no specific exclusionscited in the scheme guidelines, potentialapplicants are advised to contact the ARIto ensure that all eligibility criteria aremet.

Other: Link to guidelines:http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari/grants

Contact detailsAllotments Regeneration InitiativeThe GreenHouseHereford StreetBristolBS3 4NATel: 0117 963 1551E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/

Funder: Biffaward (RSWT)

The principle of sustainability andsustainable development is at the centreof Biffaward's strategy with specific focuson improving quality of life and fosteringvibrant communities.

The Biffaward Small Grants Scheme hasbeen established to enable groups toaccess lower levels of funding forprojects which have the primary aim ofimproving an amenity located within tenmiles of a Biffa Operation, and which willimprove the environmental, economic orsocial situation of a community.

Eligibility:

Grants must be used for site-basedimprovement work.

The Small Grants Scheme is open to anynot-for-profit community ledorganisation with its own bank account.

In addition projects must:

n Be within ten miles of a BiffaOperation.

n Be within ten miles of a landfill site(owned by any company).

n Have full public access for a minimumof 104 days per year.

n Be registered with ENTRUST undercategory D.

n Not have a total cost of more than£10,000.

Exclusions:

n Core costs of an organisation.

nWorks to school buildings, grounds orto allotments.

nWorks to car parks, offices or services.

n Improvements to offices or services.

n Allotment related projects.

n Retrospective funding.

n Projects with a total cost of more than£10,000

n Projects not within ten miles of a BiffaWaste Service operation.

n Portable items.

n Alterations to existing buildings to theDisability Discrimination Act.

n Fencing.

n Enhancements to town or villagecentres.

Other: Link to guidelines:

http://www.biffaward.org/index.php/about/soverview

Contact detailsBiffaward Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts The Kiln, Waterside Mather Road Newark, Notts NG24 1WT

Funder: Boots Charitable Trust

Grants Available:

Minor grants of less than £2,000 willtake between one and two months toadminister.

Major grants for over £2,000 may takebetween two and four months.

Deadlines:

For minor grants under £2,000 there isno deadline.

Applications for Major grants in excess of£2,000 are reviewed at bi-monthlyTrustee meetings.

Major grants deadlines: 7 February, 7April, 7 June, 7 August, 7 October, and 7December.

Frequency:

Bi-monthly.


Link to guidelines:

http://www.boots-uk.com/Corporate_Social_Responsibility/Community/Charitable_giving.aspx

Applications are only accepted on theofficial application form which isavailable to download from the websiteaddress below. The latest annual reportand full audited accounts and any lettersof support should be sent with theapplication.


An important part of the Trust's activity isto keep abreast of charitable work andcurrent needs in the community. Inaddition to offering direct support tocharities, the Trust supports Bootsemployees to participate in a wide rangeof community activities and to fundraisefor a variety of organisations.

The Trust's four main funding prioritiesare as follows:

Healthn Community Healthcare n Health Education and Prevention

Community Developmentn Helping groups to organise andrespond to problems and needs intheir communities or networks.

n This could include groups such asCouncils for Voluntary Services and selfhelp groups.

Social Caren Personal Social Services - organisationsassisting individuals or families toovercome social deprivation

n Social Preventive Schemes - activitiespreventing crime, dropping out andgeneral delinquency and providingother social care outreach work, socialhealth and safety awareness schemes,etc.

n Community Social Activities - activitiesto promote social engagement forvulnerable people, mitigating againstisolation and loneliness.

The Trust will consider applications forfunding for most expenditure items,including salary and overhead costs.Projects which involve minor structuralimprovements and refurbishments will beconsidered.

Eligibility:

Applications are accepted from registeredcharities benefiting people who live inNottinghamshire.

The Trust is especially interested inprojects with the capacity to deliversignificant impact and which reach thegreatest number of people.

Applications for up to two years' fundingwill be considered where there is strongevidence of need for this length ofcommitment.

Exclusions:

The following fall outside the scheme'scriteria for support:n Projects benefiting people outsideNottinghamshire.

n Individuals.n Organisations who are not registeredcharities and who have income orexpenditure of more than £5,000 peryear.

n Charities seeking funds to redistributeto other charities.

n Projects for which there is a legalstatutory obligation.

Other: Contact detailsRachel McGuireAppeals Officer

Boots Charitable TrustHead OfficeCommunity InvestmentD90 Building West G14NottinghamNG90 1BSTel: 0115 949 2185E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.boots-uk.com/Funder: Heart Research UK- HealthyHearts Grants

Grants Available:

£1,000- £10,000

Deadlines:

Applications will next be acceptedbetween 1 January 2012 and 28February 2012

Frequency:

Biannual.


Link to guidelines:

http://www.heartresearch.org.uk/grants/healthyheartgrant

Application forms are available todownload from the Heart Researchwebsite.

The following must be submitted bypost:n Six copies of the application form (PartA + B) with signatures in Section E(one copy must have originalsignatures).

n One copy of the organisation's mostrecent full year financial statement.


Healthy Heart Grants support innovativeprojects designed to promote hearthealth and to prevent or reduce the risksof heart disease in specific groups orcommunities.

Eligibility:

Community and voluntary organisations,registered charities, other not for profitorganisations and researchers in the UKare eligible to apply.

The Healthy Heart Grant is for hearthealth projects only, and not for generalhealthy lifestyle projects. Projects mustfocus on, and actively promote, hearthealth for the duration of the project.

Exclusions:

Government, public sector or localauthority funded institutions may notapply, though community and voluntarygroups aided by public money may apply.

Healthy Heart Grants cannot be used for:n General health projects - activity mustbe specifically linked to heart issuesand tackling heart disease.

n Salary costs not related to HealthyHeart projects.

n Capital costs such as: n Buildings.n Running costs.n Repairs.n Permanent fixtures.

Other:Contact detailsEnquiriesLifestyle TeamHeart Research UKSuite 12DJoseph’s WellLeedsLS3 1ABTel: 0113 297 6206E-mail: [email protected]:http://www.heartresearch.org.uk/homeFunder: Awards for All England

This simple small grants scheme deliversawards of between £300 and £10,000.The Awards for All programme aims tohelp improve local communities and thelives of people most in need. Projectsthat meet one or more of the followingoutcomes: People have better chances inlife - with better access to training anddevelopment to improve their life skills;Stronger communities - with more activecitizens working together to tackle theirproblems; Improved rural and urbanenvironments - which communities arebetter able to access and enjoy; Healthierand more active people andcommunities.

To apply, please visit their website at

http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/england/apply.html Funder: Comic ReliefNottinghamshire

Round Two will open to applications on 9January 2012, with a deadline of 10February 2012.

Grants Available:

£1,000- £10,000

Deadlines: 10th February 2012

Frequency:Periodic


Link to guidelines:

http://www.nottscf.org.uk/_funds/?_action=viewfund&_id=15

The application form is available tocomplete online at the Foundation'swebsite.


There are still many communities in theUK that suffer from economic and socialdeprivation and the current economicclimate may make this situation worse.This programme aims to empower local

Marsha Smith’s Recipe for Winter and Spring24

people, enabling them to create lastingchange in their communities.

Eligibility:

The following organisations inNottinghamshire are eligible to apply:n Residents associations.n Community centres and groups.n Social Enterprises.n Community Interest Companies.n Credit Unions.

Projects should be run by people directlyaffected by the issues they are dealingwith and priority will be given to small,locally based groups or organisations inareas of disadvantage that have a clearunderstanding of the needs of theircommunity

Organisations can apply for funding to:n Increase local services.n Build skills of local people.n Increase community cohesion.n Respond to local economic needs.n Increase access to sport and exercisefor people who face social exclusionand isolation.

Examples of the type of activities that willbe funded are as follows:n Community consultation exercises.n Community employment projects.n Food co-ops.n Running costs, including salaries, corecosts and project costs.

n Committee and volunteer/stafftraining.

Exclusions:

The following are not eligible forfunding:n Statutory organisations, includingschools.

n Buses, mini buses or other communitytransport schemes (not includingtransport costs forming part of aproject).

n Building costs, including accessadaptations to buildings.

n Organisations which are in receipt of agrant directly from Comic Relief.

Other:Contact detailsGrants OfficerNottinghamshire Community FoundationCedar HouseRansom Wood Business ParkSouthwell Road WestMansfieldNG21 0HJ

Nottinghamshire

Tel: 01623 636 365

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.nottscf.org.uk/

Funder: Reaching CommunitiesGrants Available:

Revenue grants of between £10,000 and£500,000 over a maximum period of fiveyears.

The programme mainly supports revenueprojects.

The maximum capital grant awarded willbe £50,000.

Larger capital grants of between£100,000 and £500,000 are alsoavailable, providing the applicantcomplies with BIG's eligibility checker.

Deadlines:

None- Apps may be submitted atanytime

Frequency:

Rolling Programme


Link to guidelines:http://www2.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities

The Fund is streamlining the applicationprocess so that organisations will be ableto complete an outline proposal,providing brief information on theproject, and will receive initial feedbackwithin 20 working days. After this, theywill either be asked to submit a fullapplication form or signposted toanother Big Lottery Fund programme,which may be more appropriate for theirproposals.


Reaching Communities supports projectsthat improve the quality of life ofcommunities across England.

The programme is part of the Fund'sdemand-led strand, which encouragesvoluntary and community organisationsto identify their own local ideas andsolutions for the Big Lottery Fund toprovide financial support towards.

Eligibility:

Applications are invited from small localgroups as well as larger organisationsbased and working locally in England.Organisations that can apply include:n Voluntary and community groups.n Schools.n Charitable or not-for-profitorganisations.

n Social enterprises.n Health body.n Local authority.

The Big Lottery Fund will only makegrants to statutory organisations ororganisations that have a propergoverning document.

Exclusions:n The maximum length of funding underthis programme will be five years toallow projects more time to developand become sustainable.

n A maximum overall project size hasbeen set at £750,000 and £200,000for the total capital element within aproject.

Grants cannot be awarded to:n Groups applying on behalf of otherorganisations.

Ineligible expenditure includes:n Retrospective costs.n Costs someone else is paying for incash or "in kind".

n General improvements unless they areessential to the project.

n For capital grants of less than £50,000,the purchase of a leasehold of lessthan five years.

Other: Contact detailsReaching CommunitiesBIG Lottery Fund2 St James GateNewcastle Upon TyneNE1 4BETel: 08454 102030E-mail:[email protected]:http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/

Looking for an innovative way to sourcefunding then check out Peoplefund.it?

Everyone likes a good idea. Peoplefund.itis a new crowd-sourcing website fromthe makers of River Cottage, Hugh's FishFight and Chicken Out! which bringstogether individuals with fresh ideaswithin fledgling community projects.

You'll find plenty of inspirational ideasthat may just change the world onPeoplefund.it, and you can play your partin making them happen. It's quick toback a project and for as little as £1 youcan pledge your support - if it doesn't hitits target, it won't hit you in the pocket.

But it's not just your money that projectsare after. They need your time and yourskills to get off the ground.

So whether it's ground-breaking energyinitiatives, new technological gadgetry orfresh food ideas which gets you going,get involved on Peoplefund.it.

http://www.peoplefund.it/

For more information about other grantopportunities identified then pleasecontact Shona on 0115 9788217.

Butterbean, Tomato

and Honey Stew New and Old Salad

Dried, soaked butterbeans

or

tinned ones,

Onions and plenty of garli

c, fried in

a big glug of olive oil,

Tinned tomatoes, chopped

,

Honey,

Smoked paprika (preferab

ly the

hot, Spanish stuff),

Cider vinegar,

A sprinkling of fresh or drie

d

thyme,

Salt, black and white pepp

er....

Combine and cook through

until soft

and well simmered... Serve w

ith brown

rice or brown bread and but

ter... Or a

baked sweet potato and a bi

t of

yoghurt with salt and lemon

juice...Spring Recipe: New an

d Old

Salad (stuff from the store cu

pboard,

the last of the winter vegeta

ble box

and ushering in some new sp

ring

herbs)

Red Cabbage, grated,

White Cabbage, grated,

Carrot, grated,

Tinned mandarins or fresh

oranges

you have peeled and segm

ented...

If you can get a blood ora

nge then

this will be even better! Sa

ve the

juice for the dressing,

Dried dates, finely and stic

kily

chopped, preferably the ju

icy

Medjool ones,

Red onion, finely chopped

,

Olive oil,

Salt and black pepper,

Any fresh herbs such as ne

w, baby

chives, cress or seeds you h

ave

sprouted, tiny new mint le

aves or

parsley shoots if they have

emerged yet...

Combine the vegetables in a

big bowl

and mix, add in dates and dr

ained

orange, then make a dressing

from the

oil, the orange juice, the herb

s and the

seasonings and mix... Eat an

d enjoy

immediately...

Update: Climate Friendly Gardeners26

At Windmill CommunityGardens, we have beenspending the Winter monthsconcentrating cutting backour willow, so we will haveuseful poles and bed-edgingsfor the coming year, and fuelfor our clay oven and othercooking. We've also startedsome early seedlings in thepolytunnel.

Although the polytunnel isn't heated, wecan get seedlings going by making a littlemini-greenhouse within the tunnel to givethe seeds some extra protection. Thedesign we use is also great for peoplegrowing on windowsills, because it helpsto reflect light so the seedlings get abrighter growing area, and also helps themto grow straight, rather than just leaningtowards the light. We were reminded ofhow important the extra light is, when avolunteer brought in some cabbageseedlings he'd raised in a bedroom athome. These were really long and straggly- the fancy term for this is "etiolated" -and were all collapsing. In contrast, ourown seedlings are much shorter, but theirstems are a lot thicker and they have largerleaves. This will make them much easier toplant and hopefully mean that they get agood start when we finally put them out.

We've also been warming the soil in someof the beds, to help us get crops likecarrots and peas off to a good start. We'veused 2 different methods - covering thesoil with a piece of black plastic andputting a mini-tunnel over another patch.You need to leave these in place for a few

weeksbefore you hope to plant, andthey can give you a head start because theseeds appreciate the extra warmth andwon't just sit and rot as they sometimes dowhen everything is too chilly. We'll seewhether there is a difference in successrate for the 2 areas and report back.

Another thing we've been thinking aboutis the problem of handling carrot-seed. Weoften work with small children andsometimes with groups who haveproblems with their hands because ofarthritis or other physical issues. Littleseeds like carrots are difficult to handle,and we've found that some folk end upsowing the whole packet in a tiny area,which is a problem when you can get upto 1000 seeds in a packet! Apart fromsprinkling the seed thinly, we've also triedmixing it with some sand to spread out theseed more, and also had a go at sowing bydipping a wet pencil tip into the seeds andthen into the ground. This year, we're alsohaving a go at making our own seed tape- I prefer masking tape because it's alreadysticky but not wet, and just place the seedsat the correct spacing along strips of the

tape about 50cm long, then plant it on it'sside in the allotment. Others use toiletpaper, using a little flour and water pasteto stick the seed in position before foldingthe paper over it to make long strips. Ifyou find carrots fiddly, why not give it a tryand let us know how you get on?

Now in March we’ve been busy diggingout brambles, building debris andflattening out the ground. In addition tothis, the weeding and digging continued inthe other parts of the sensory area and wewill hopefully have a path to our willowobelisk which we created last year. Theaim is to grow more sweet pea plants upthe obelisk.

We greeted our first school group visit of2012. The group in question was class P5from Robert Shaw Primary school. Thesession was based around water and howit can be conserved. This was donethrough three fun hands on activities:building a rain water collector, modelling ariver flow and taking part in a waterconservation trail around the site.

For the rain water collector task, Matt splitpupils into groups and tasked them withbuilding a collector using only plasticsheeting, sticks, a plant pot and tape/string. The intention was to collect asmuch water as possible from a squaremetre area, and channel this into a bucketusing only the materials provided. It gotpupils to work together as a team, whilethinking about what shape is mosteffective to collect rainfall. The pupilscreated all sorts of contraptions, withvarying levels of success. It ended up beinga dry day, so we used watering cansinstead to test how much could be caught,with sometimes messy results!

Ecoworks: All Power to the Electric Vehicle and Vegetable Box Scheme28

We offer a weekly locally grown, locallysourced Veg Box Scheme (actually comesin a bag, so easy to carry)

We keep our food miles low by deliveringto convenient pick up points across the citysuch as: places of work, communitycentres and real ale pubs. We have threesize bags to choose from: Basic, Big andBumper and prices ranging from £6-£14.We've just made a short film showingpeople why we're worth supporting go toour website www.ecoworks.org.uk or visitwww.youtube.com/watch?v=fHAj-zAbI3Q

Sign up is simple, just go on our website orcall us on 01159 622200 It takes 10minsfrom start to finish, we'll do the rest.

Ecoworks Local Mobile

We are really excited about our mobilefood vehicle, which we recently purchasedthrough the Big Lottery’s Local Food Grant.

This bespoke electric vehicle will besponsored and commissioned in ways thatengage and inspire neighborhoods’ toaccess affordable fresh local produce. Its

main purpose will be as a mobile point ofsale for local produce, plants andmaterials, and to help promote Ecoworkslocal veg box scheme and growersnetwork. With on board cooking facilities,refrigeration and film projection, we canalso offer outreach activities, practicalhealth promotion workshops includingfood demonstrations.

We are building good partnership linkssuch as NHS Decade for Better Health,who may include sponsorship of thevehicle. We would be interested to hearfrom other organisations and sectors whomay be interested in potentialpartnerships, commissioning of workshopprogrammes and events and/or sponsoringthe vehicle.

For more information please contact: LocalFood Co-ordinator Nicola Hinton Tel:[email protected]

FIG Local talk to Sneinton resident,Sarah Whiteman about her experienceof the Ecoworks Vegetable BoxScheme

Hi there so how did you come acrossthe service?

Torben (my partner) got talking to Jodywho I believe volunteers for Ecoworks, inthe Nelly, who discussed with him the next"veg box" enterprise. We have alwayswanted to eat "home grown" veg, butwith limited yard space in Sneinton thiswas unfeasible. Therefore, the veg box

scheme really appealed to us both. Wepreviously bought veg from supermarkets,and more recently from local stores inSneinton, but found it went off reallyquickly, and so wanted to try somethingthat was more locally grown.

When and what was your motivationfor deciding to take up the veg boxscheme?

We signed up in November last year andas explained above we wanted to eat freshlocal produce.

How has it changed your eatinghabits?

It’s changed the type of vegetables we eatcompletely. Even in local stores, the choiceof vegetables is quite limited. By havingthe veg box, we have tried new veg thatwe may not have tried otherwise, maybeever! The Jerusalem artichokes spring tomind. By having this in the veg box,Torben researched how to cook it, andtherefore we had new and interestingways of cooking the veg, and thoroughlyenjoyed eating them!

How has your weekly shopping billchanged?

We have the bumper box, which is £14per week. On average, I would have aneducated guess we were spending about£25 per week on veg, but maybe a third ofthis would have to be thrown away beforewe ate it, as it had gone off. The veg is ofsuch a high standard that we have had noissues with this since we took up thescheme.

Has the take up of the box schemeencouraged you to become moreconscious of other at home cost andenergy savings?

It has made us rethink other bills, and I amabout to look into changing our energysupplier for both gas and electricity, so yes,it has had an impact.

How has the introduction of the boxscheme to your weekly routinechanged the level of food waste inyour household?

Absolutely, for the reasons stated above.

What distinct health benefits if any doyou think the box scheme has providedyou?

I don't think there have been anynoticeable health benefits as such, butcertainly it makes you "feel" healthier, asthe veg is locally grown without pesticides.

If you were the brainchild behind theveg box scheme how would youchange the service if at all?

No, not at all!

Any other comments?

It’s extremely convenient to collect fromthe Lord Nelson on a Friday, which is a 5minutes away from the house. And it isquite exciting to find out what new vegwill be coming our way as the seasonschange.

Thank you Sarah.

“We want to change the way people think about, relate toand enjoy their food”

Chris Firth, Local Food’s Regional Co-ordinator Round Up of Local Food Projects30

Nottingham has long been a hub for communitygardens and was a pioneer of the urban gardensand farms movement. The city has a long historyof allotment gardening, with St Anns’ allotmentsbeing the oldest and largest detached towngardens in Britain, while Stonebridge City Farm isthe oldest city farm in the UK. It should thereforebe no surprise that a number of existingNottingham-based organisations were the first toapply to the BIG Lottery Local Food grant schemewhen it opened in 2008. They were joined byseveral newer organisations eager to takeadvantage of funding in order to get established.All this gave a boost to the community foodsector both in Nottingham and beyond into thecounty of Nottinghamshire. The Local Foodprogramme, which runs until 2014 and ismanaged by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts(RSWT), has the overall objective of making localfood more accessible and affordable to localcommunities. To date, grants have been awardedto 8 different projects in Greater Nottingham, anda further 3 in the county of Nottinghamshire,amounting to £1.5 million in total.

The grants have been used in a variety of ways –firstly to create new local food assets orinfrastructure and to renovate existing ones,including new areas of land for growing food.Secondly, the grants have helped to build groups’capacity to undertake their work, for example byenabling them to do more outreach work andoffer more education, advice and training in foodgrowing and cooking. Finally, some of the grantshave been used to help groups form supportnetworks and to start the process of creating andplanning a new food distribution system in thecity.

New assets have included larger items such as aneducational building at Arkwright MeadowsCommunity (AMC) Gardens, which will enable itto offer a range of accredited training and also

the new kitchen space provides a bespokearea to process crops into products. extending thetraining offer further. Ecoworks have purchased arenovated milk float to enable them to distributeproduce as part of their vegetable box scheme.Other projects have used their grants to purchasegrowing and cooking equipment and to establishnew community gardens. For example, acommunity garden has been established atSummerwood Lane Allotments in Clifton, whichprovides a venue for a variety of local youth andcommunity groups to come and learn aboutgrowing fruit and vegetables. Meanwhile,funding to Groundwork has enabled them toestablish a ‘Climate Friendly’ garden at WindmillAllotments site, Bobbersmill, helping to educategrowers in how to reduce their impact on climatechange, while adapting to it with differentvarieties and techniques. A grant to St Ann’sAllotment Association has enabled them resurrectalmost 50 very overgrown and disused allotmentplots. It has also helped to train tenants in how toprune and graft new trees from the many historicfruit trees on site. Many of the trees were so largeand difficult to manage that they had beenabandoned; the grant has brought them back toproductive use.

Grants have also been used to employ staff toprovide outreach from their sites to support andtrain individuals and other groups in how to grow

their own. At Stonebridge City Farm in St Anns,their project ‘Green Street’ is being used tomentor budding growers in neighbouringgardens, allotments and schools. To make thiseasier they are supplied with vegetabletransplants grown by volunteers at the farm. Inaddition they have trained 24 new beekeepers,who have their own bee hives and colonies ofbees. They intend to maintain their projectthrough a ‘Friends of Green Street’ scheme,which will offer plants, courses and paidplacements.

The ‘DigIn’ community garden at Stapleford has

benefited from a small grant to help pay for anoutreach worker, which has enabled then toattract more groups to their site and events andresulted in their best year ever. Further afield anew project in Ollerton called ‘Feel Good Foods’ isalso supporting community-growing work withschools, individuals and families and offering anOCN in Horticulture, thus helping to spread theskills and knowledge of food growing across thecounty. Education and training in food growing isa common theme in many of the funded projects.In the north of the county, funding for the Schoolof Artisan Food at Welbeck will enable it to offer

its impressive facilities in baking, dairy, butcheryand charcuterie to school groups in the holidays,thus helping to engage the next generation in

how to appreciate and preparefood.

Finally, Local Food fundinghas helped to foster a new sense of co-operationamongst projects in the city and county. This is inpart being carried out under Ecoworks’ project,‘Fresh Communities’, which is developing a city-wide network of fruit and vegetable growers andlow-income community consumers who areworking together to create a new food systemfor Nottingham. It currently distributes 85vegetable bags a week. Many of the otherfunded projects are able to sell produce to thescheme, thereby linking them together in a newnetwork which should help to sustain the legacyof Local Food investment in the city. Thesustainability of the network of growing groupswill be further enhanced through a grant to theFood Initiative Group (FIG Local) to develop aninfrastructure that responds to local food poverty.This grant amongst other activities will to enablethe project to continue to provide advice andsupport to growing projects, to map areas wherelocal fresh affordable food is lacking and to helpcreate a local branding for local produce.

Chris FirthLocal Food Midlands Regional [email protected] 024 7630 8205

A BIG new buzz in local foodgrowing in Nottingham andNottinghamshire.

‘It’s Sow Simple! Getting Schools Growing Conference 201232

“It’s Sow Simple!” our getting schools growingconference 2012 was held on 29th February atGreenfields Community School and ArkwrightMeadows Community Gardens in Nottingham.It was organised jointly by FIG and the EastMidlands Communities for Health Network. Theevent was attended by 47 representatives fromschools across the East Midlands region whohad all come to learn, share and develop newinspiring ideas for growing in their schoolgrounds. It was an excellent event where peoplelearned and shared their expertise on gettingschools growing more successfully. The day wasfull of vibrancy and enthusiasm. The venue wasvery popular and feedback included commentssuch as ‘inspirational’, ‘excellent’, ‘brilliant’ and‘super’. The warm welcome by schoolchildrenwas also much appreciated.

Over thecourse of the day there were a series of

workshops along with keynote speakers, KateShaw from Food for Life Partnership andheadmaster Terry Smith talking about thepractical implications of setting up as a growingschool. Terry Smith’s school, Greenfield’sCommunity School are now well on their way toreaching the Food for Life Gold standard. Clickhere for full detailshttp://www.foodforlife.org.uk/Awardsforschools/Goldaward.aspx of the awardscheme.

Thefeatured workshops weredesigned to capture the imagination ofparticipants and provide practical hands onsupport for getting schools ready to grow andoffered tips on how to cook the fruits of theirlabour. Sowing Seeds ‘a hands’ on sessionoffered delegates the chance to find out how tosow seeds effectively using cheap and freematerials and equipment. The Designing YourSpace workshop was designed to get delegatesmaximising their school growing spacesregardless of size or to help them redesign theirexisting sites to optimise growing opportunities.The workshop discussed budgets, designs, toolsand other resources required to get schoolsgrowing throughout the school year.

Growing & Harvesting Your Crops during TermTime looked at how traditional sowing times forcrops used by most gardeners can be a problemfor school gardens because they mean manycrops are ready in the school holidays. Thisworkshop showed how with a few tweaks tothe planting and sowing calendars, and choiceof crop helps to push harvesting times into theSummer and Autumn terms. Cooking withCrops the “Let’s Get Cooking” led workshopdemonstrated a range of delicious recipes usingvegetables and herbs harvested from yoursummer crops. Finally Making Food Fit into theCurriculum, a workshop on making the most oflearning opportunities through food growing atall Key Stages provided lots of ideas andplanning strategies for the whole curriculum.

Clearly delegates took a lot from the day, thefact the event was hosted from a community

garden site and school showed in practice whatcould be achieved. We asked delegates to givesuggestions for future events. The resoundingresponse was more of the same this kind ofevent should be compulsory for educators.We may organise a half day workshop fordelegates who attended, incorporating apractical allotment planning and growingsessions and to produce planting plans in smallgroups. We would like to learn about keepinghens on school site - pros & cons, etc.

Foodshare is a national not-for-profit, 100%volunteer-powered charity which connectsgrowers with local charities. Their aim is toencourage every grower to sow a bit extra, andshare their surpluses with a local charity thatfeeds people. It’s a brand new way to give tocharity!

As Foodshare’s latest project the“Grow-Cook-Share” Day shows schools canreally help to counter food poverty. MiltonPrimary (the first school to sign up as aFoodshare School) harvested their vegetablesand learnt how to turn them into a tasty soupto feed 30 homeless people. The more schoolswho take up growing activities, the moreactivity of this kind could be replicated acrossNottinghamshire. Foodshare were a driving-force behind the setting up of a Government-supported Taskforce looking into "FoodGrowing in Schools". After 18 months of

meetings and a major research project theTaskforce have now released a report. Thereport is very encouraging and demonstrates thework that is already happening in schools, butalso highlights the need for a much greaternational focus and involvement in schools acrossthe board, to ensure children have the necessarylife skills for the future.

The report has an encouraging foreward fromCaroline Spelman - Secretary of State for theDepartment of Environment, Food and RuralAffairs (DEFRA). It highlights many of the directand indirect benefits of food growing in schoolsand sets out a number of aims to help us reachour vision of every child having direct experienceof food growing in school.

Food Growing in Schools Taskforce Full report

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs/FGIS%20Main%20Report%20March%202012.pdf

For more information and feedback please contact:

Shona Munro - FIG Local Project Co-ordinator & Editor

Jo Bradley - Executive Director

Claire Hale - People Programme Manager

C/o Groundwork Greater NottinghamDenman Street EastNottinghamNG7 3GX

Tel: 0115 9788212Email: [email protected]: www.groundworkgreaternottingham.org.uk

FIG is supported by:

>Edited by S

ho

na

Mu

nro

&R

uki

a Sh

affi

FIG Local Bumper Edition Winter/Spring 2012

Documents

local food worker

food poverty

local resident

local foodnetwork

ecoworks local foodworker

food policy perspective

regular food events

shape offig local