Press Release 24 Nov 2009

HTML Version

A Northumberland Community is taking on the challenge of growing their own food thanks to a £7,000 grant from Local Food, a new funding programme supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

A Toy Library and Children’s Resource Centre is one of the first organisations in the North East to receive funding from the £50 million Local Food Programme which will be funding food related community projects right across the country.

The ‘Food for Thought’ project is a new education and growing concept which will deliver food related activities to children, young people and adult volunteers, strengthening community links as well as providing a stimulus to promote local food growing and healthy eating. Now with the resources to maintain an allotment at Dr Pit Allotment, Bedlington, children will have the facilities and materials needed to participate in cooking classes and growing clubs working alongside the local allotment group with excellent gardening knowledge.

Ann Widdrington, Development Worker at Northumberland Toy Library, said:

“Having this opportunity is a brilliant step forward for the Toy Library, we will be able to give our family’s the support to begin growing their own food, and give them ideas for delicious ways to cook with it. Everyone especially the children, will benefit from not only the fresh food, but been able to get out in to the fresh air and enjoy producing it, it will be a real community asset, with all ages involved.”

Mark Wheddon, Local Food Programme Manager said:

“It is projects like this that have a wide and lasting impact on the community and we are happy to support them. The ‘Food For Thought’ project marks just the beginning in terms of Local Food grants. With a record £50 million to distribute to various groups we will begin to see a real change in the accessibility of 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.

-ENDS-