Press Release 11 Mar 2009

Liverpool’s African Community to Source British Produce

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A local community charity will be promoting the use of British ingredients in Liverpool’s East African and Yemen communities thanks to a £10,000 grant funded by Local Food, a new grants programme supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

Horn Africa are the first organisation in the North West to receive funding from the £50 million Local Food Programme which will be funding food related community projects right across the country.

The ‘Cultural Food’ project will provide cookery classes for local Horn African women, create a sustainable social enterprise by providing local food to those on low incomes, and help break the isolation women in the community experience by introducing East African women to new sources of local food outside of the immediate neighbourhood.

Horn Africa Company Secretary, Iman Hassan said:

“As well as celebrating the community diets this project will also encourage local Horn African women to adapt their diets in order to address the high levels of vitamin D deficiency. It could also go as far as improving the mental health problems experienced by many isolated women in Horn African communities.”

Mark Wheddon, Local Food Programme Manager said:

“One of our key themes is celebrating the cultural diversity of food and we believe that this project could have a significant impact in not only educating people in the benefits of incorporating local British ingredients into their diets but also to encourage greater participation in the wider community for those isolated groups.”

Local Food has been developed by a consortium of 15 national environmental organisations, and is managed on their behalf by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). Supported by the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, Local Food will distribute grants to a variety of food related projects to make locally grown food more accessible.

-ENDS-

Editor's Notes

Local Food: Local Food has been developed by a consortium of 15 national environmental organisations, and is managed on their behalf by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). Supported by the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, Local Food will distribute grants to a variety of food related projects to make locally grown food more accessible. www.localfoodgrants.org

RSWT: The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts is a registered charity, incorporated by Royal Charter, to promote conservation and manage environmental programmes throughout the whole of the UK. It has established management systems for holding and distributing funds totalling more than £20 million annually to environmental projects across the UK.

Changing Spaces programme: The Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme was launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme will fund a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers markets, to education projects teaching people about the environment. RSWT was appointed as a Changing Spaces award partner responsible for distributing £50million for its Local Food scheme.

The Big Lottery Fund: The Big Lottery Fund rolls out nearly £2 million in Lottery money every day. The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, was set up in June 2004. It gives grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888 Out of hours: 07867 500 572

Public enquiries line: 08454 102030 Textphone: 08456 021 659

Full details of the work of the Big Lottery Fund, its programmes and awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

For further information please contact:

Iman Hassan, Company Secretary, Horn Africa, Tel: 07939 475904, Email:,burcoa@hotmail.co.uk

Kelvin DeSena, PR & Promotions Officer, Local Food, Tel: 01636 670062, Email: kdesena@rswt.org

Date: 17 February 2009 Release Date:Immediate Release