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Keep in touch with the Food Alliance Blog - sign up here Follow on Instagram here, Facebook here Here's where you can see what's happening for good local food in Herefordshire. From local food events, through farming to food waste - we use the Sustainable Food Places topics so you can see the things you're interested in at a glance. Click on each one for more information or scroll down the most recent. Contact us to tell us what's going on in your part of the County and sign the food charter to add your voice! |
Foraging Pops Up in this Hellens Festival of Wildlife in August - Liz Knight will be getting everyone stuck in with some foraging. Plus I'm sure there will be plenty to learn about all the wildlife that keeps our food pollinated and growing in great soil - and it's FREE! Hellens Cafe open on the day.
To book sessions email
Part of Hidden Herefordshire: https://hbrc.org.uk/hidden-herefordshire/
Vera at Sustain has put some thoughts together after Pride Month around LGBT representation in food circles. The full article is here, and there are couple of ideas for connection below.
"This Pride Month we are celebrating some wonderful community food projects that actively work to involve LGBTQ+ people and create safe and affirming spaces to enjoy and engage with food – read on to be inspired!
Spotlight on a community garden:
Based at Headway Herefordshire, Growing Point offer therapeutic gardening sessions weekly.
"Herefordshire Growing Point began as a registered charity to provide horticultural therapy in Herefordshire. Now, with our charity manager and a team of tutors and volunteers, we offer weekly gardening sessions for about 200 clients. All our funding comes from donations and grants from charitable trusts and individuals."
Do you know a place where people grow together?
We're working on a map - you can suggest additions on this form here.
(The map will also have info on where to BUY good food and EAT it too - watch this space!)
Picking and Processing Plans now up and running!
Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund we're now putting in to practice some of the ideas from the surplus event back in November last year.
We're networking community groups, orchards, farmers and food banks to make sure if there's surplus food, it gets used.
- Sustainable Ledbury, Pot and Page Community Hub and Ledbury Food Bank will be holding volunteer days to gather apples and other produce and processing / storing them for use in the Food Bank in Autumn
- Archenfield Community Environment Group will hold a juicing day in their community with surplus apples
- Hereford Wildlife Trust will be picking an orchard that's not been picked for a while
- And we're on the lookout for the quick-turn-around opportunities that farms often have when let down by supermarkets if their crop isn't just right
If you'd like to be involved in getting more useful food to people's plates that need it - please get in touch to volunteer!
If you are a farmer who think you may have surplus, please get in touch -
More information about how to deal with surplus in Herefordshire here
The goal of the alliance is to build a movement of good food - food that bnenefits nature and humans, so this project is about building the capacity of what's already going on and linking it. Hope we can work together soon!
Welcome Ruth to the Herefordshire Food Alliance - Ruth will be working with Rebecca to support the picking and processing project and work towards the feasts in Autumn.
You may have met her in Ledbury Celebration or the Save the Wye event as she was talking to visitors about local food and people's experience and access to it.
She also works as an area coordinator with Pasture for Life so bring some experience of producers in the area, and farming methods too.
If you'd like to support Ruth and Rebecca with all this lovely activity, please get in touch about volunteering roles!
Talk Community have some holiday activities listed on their pages - there are more, so if they're not included and you want to share please let Talk Community know. A number of activities have free places and come with lunch.
Growing Local - FREE Family Gardening Sessions Tuesday 8th August
"We made the decision a few months ago to not run our usual childrens and family cook workshops this summer, so that we can focus our energy on lifting our Growing Local Gardens project off the ground. We are really pleased to instead be able to offer families a morning or afternoon of garden activities at our future Growing Local Gardens site. All details on the flyer, booking via Eventbrite only:
Do you have something you've been working that might bring the message of great food that works with nature, would you like to display it in this space? Get in touch with Jaime. Some beautiful pieces of work have popped up all over town, all displayed in the gallery here.
"If you are under 30 you can show your artworks here. You decided where in Leominster you wish to place your work, it could be in the park, on a tree, in the street, or against a building. We will photograph you work there and the photograph will be exhibited, see the gallery for examples.
Are you excited about what we can do for good local food together? From getting local food into hospitals, to making the most of every field's produce in Herefordshire - this alliance can make a difference.
Picking, Processing and Gleaning:
We are working with Sustainable Ledbury, Ledbury Food Bank and Pot and Page Community Hub to harvest apples for use by the food bank this autumn / winter. We'll aim to do similar with the Wildlife Trust in an orcahrd in Hereford, and
Feasts:
Many producers and partners will be involved in three feast events in the autumn,
Festival:
We'll be shouting about the work of the Food Alliance at the Indie Food Festival in Hereford this August bank holiday.
If none of this floats your boat, please sign the Food Charter and encourage others to do the same!
You can help take the message to your street, town, campus - please get in touch. A quick conversation with cafes, restaurants and market stalls - we'll provide flyers and an easy way of letting us know if organisatrions / individuals would like a laminated banner, more flyers etc.
Update: We're now planning three feasts, probably over three weeks between October and November in three different locations.
We'll be looking for producers who have food that is working with nature in Herefordshire, and are looking to increase their routes to market and sales. So please get in touch if you're interested in selling us your produce.
________
Producers - Organisers - Farmers - Venues - Retailers -
Please help make a FEAST happen in late Autumn, showcasing nature-friendly food production in the county for everyone and leading to more visibility of the food that is building our economy AND our planet.
Inspired by a conversation with Little Marcle Organic Produce we have found the Farming For Change Podcast featuring another Herefordshire Farmer Ben Taylor Davies.
What do you think? Are there other podcasts / publications / people that cover good food and have a local connection, or you think are useful? Please share!
Here are a few
Agroecology Cools the Earth - plusother publications from Landworkers Alliance
"The Ledbury Celebration on Sunday 9th July celebrates the local food and drink of Herefordshire and its neighbouring counties with an added menu of music, poetry and our historic heritage.
This year’s event brings an outdoor market to historic St Katherine’s, Ledbury next to the 15th century Master’s House and just off the High Street. The event runs from 11am to 4pm with entertainment from midday.
Local produce will be on sale either to eat and drink “on the go” or to take home to savour in slower time."
We've seen a few food jobs this week to share:
...And we're still keen to hear from Freelancers with project, organisation, outreach and events experience who are keen to build this movement in Herefordshire. Check out our role at the end.
The Fold | Tack Farm | Crumplebury | Food Alliance
From the Eden Project...
"We’ve very recently launched a lovely new initiative in partnership with the RSPB, More Human and members of the Community Action collective: Community Nature Trails.
The idea is to help communities create their own local map of the local public sights, activities, events, and projects connected to nature where they live this summer – as another great way to support strong mental and physical health and bring people together with nature and each other."
Have a look at tthe process - could we get together and do some trails here in Herefordshire? Let us know!
We are looking for some hands-on project coordination support, which could also be connected to other work to build the Alliance - for example having a presence at the Hereford Indie Food Festival in August, and pulling together our Autumn Feasts.
Please get in touch if the role is interesting for you, expl
aining how you fit the role description at the bottom.
Freelance Project Coordination - Picking and Processing
July to October 2023
11 days at £150 / Day
Food Specialist (Full Time) – Jamie’s Farm Hereford
Deadline to apply: 30/06/2023
A great opportunity for a passionate and creative individual to join our positive and dynamic team working in beautiful countryside and be a part of a growing national charity, which is transforming the lives of vulnerable young people at risk of social and academic exclusion. There is a potential for on-site accommodation if required.
https://jamiesfarm.org.uk/jobs/
https://jamiesfarm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Food-Specialist-PDF.pdf
There was a real range of voices bringing the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust's new Strategy to life in their Launch this week.
'Bold' was one of the words used a lot! And partnerships.
Wye AONB, The Arts College, Farmers, Wye Valley Brewery plus campaign and community groups such as Bartonsham Meadows and Friends of the Upper Wye all shared their thoughts on how this is fitting in what's already going on in
Patrick Wrixon, farmer and member of our Alliance steering team emphasised food and food production needing to be at the heart of nature strategies. The trusts plan to develop exemplars of Nature Friendly Farming certainly links in witht he work of the Food Alliance and we'll work in partnership where we can.
"To recover nature, we need 30% of all land in our county properly managed for nature by 2030. And that’s good for other 'public goods’ too, such as cleaner air and cleaner water. Working together, we can create bigger, wilder, more connected landscapes across our county, so that nature, people and local economies can thrive."
Charter signess Lane Cottage Produce will have an open day on Saturday 1st July, as part of Shropshire Food Trail at their farm in Bucknell.
See what goes into growing great local salad...
Find out more about the Food Trail here
Keep in touch with the Herefordshire Food Alliance Blog - sign up here
From local food events, through farming to food waste - we use the Sustainable Food Places topics so you can see the things you're interested in at a glance.
Contact us to tell us what's going on in your part of the County and sign the food charter to add your voice!
3rd, 10th and 17th July - Pot and Page, Ledbury.
"We are delighted to be running sessions at the all new Pot & Page Community Hub in Ledbury! Come and join us at our fun and friendly kids group with a difference - we all cook and eat lunch together!
Everyone is welcome at a Kids Kitchen Session. Our session leaders will talk you and your child through our tasty lunch recipe and ensure everyone gets a chance to get involved. Don't worry if your little one isn't interested - the sessions are absolutely no pressure and we always have other toys available so they can dip in and out as much as they want. It's a great way to introduce your child to a wide range of healthy and delicious recipes and learn how to get kids of all ages involved in the kitchen.
We'd love to have a presence for the Food Alliance at the Restore the River event in Castle Green Hereford on 2nd July -
Making the link between great food and farming, and healthy rivers.
However we have limited capacity...
Will you already have a stall at the event? Can you host some alliance postcards and informative laminated info?
More about the event here and below.
News from Eaton Barn:
"Our Summer Open Day Plans just got BIGGER!
Jenny Larkham from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Fire will be coming to our OPEN DAY at Eaton Barn on Thursday June 22nd. Jenny will be discussing fire safety and taking referrals for FREE Home Fire Safety Visits. Come along from 10.30am to 2pm for our pop up cafe, green woodworking tasters and demos, plant and craft sale, garden tours and of course a raffle!
