Healthwise

Food Champions

We are looking to recruit a number of Food Champions at Fulwood Leisure Centre.

We will provide you with free accredited training in return for supporting the new Food Hub coming to Fulwood Leisure Centre.

What's the project about?

The project creates direct links between smaller-scale food growers/ producers and consumers looking for local produce at affordable prices using on-line technology. It aims to increase community activity around sustainable food especially in Preston's more deprived wards.

The project will

• Support smaller-scale food growers/producers to find and maintain a viable market for their produce
• Raise the profile of locally grown/produced food, thus increasing consumer interest and consumer choices
• Offer affordable prices to consumers
• Support growers/ producers to be financially self-supporting
• Offer easy to use software for growers/producers and customers
• Reduce food miles by promoting local produce and facilitating efficient distribution arrangements
• Increase consumer knowledge and skills through providing healthy eating workshops and practical cooking courses
• Reduce food packaging

How will the project achieve these objectives?

• Providing free training for up to 10 local Food Champions
• Establishing approximately 5 'food hubs' in community settings
• Linking food growers/producers with customers using established on-line software
• offering a facility via the 'food hubs' where orders can be delivered by growers/producers and collected by customers, supported by the Food Champions

What are the benefits for potential Food Champions?

• Free training, theoretical and practical
• A recognised food hygiene qualification
• Opportunities to develop food and retail related skills and knowledge

What are the benefits for potential community Food Hubs?

• Raising awareness of the importance of sustainable food and healthy eating in their local community
• Increasing affordable local food shopping options by building direct links between farmers and shoppers
• Providing fresher vegetables and fruit that are harvested to order and delivered immediately
• Up-skilling staff and community members through the delivery of food/cooking educational programmes
• Increasing community activities
• Supporting a financially viable initiative

For Food Champions- What's involved?

• Committing to undertake training for 4 full days or 8 half days
• Committing to establish and support viable food hubs appropriate to the community setting

For Community settings:

• Providing space
• Supporting the Food Champion
• Encouraging community involvement

What support is available for the project?

• Shared knowledge and experience with the 2 other UK pilot cities and community food hubs already in existence
• The wide-ranging expertise of the Open Food Network (OFN)
• Support from the online forum used by a growing number of food hubs starting up across the UK as part of the OFN
• Support from Preston Food Partnership
• Potential financial support to help defray any start-up costs
• Expertise from the Big Lunch Extra