Roblog

Minutes from Manchester Food and Well-being Network's second meeting which took place on September 2nd. Agenda items include:

• Sarah Alldred, Project Co-ordinator: Making Local Food Work
• Food Futures representatives
• Paul Brighouse, Enterprise Facilitator, New East Manchester Urban Farm
• The Big Lottery Local Food Fund, report back on consultation
• Options appraisal for developing new ways to share information within the H&W Network, and Food Futures
• Esmee Fairbairn Food grant

Download the minutes from the meeting here.
Download a briefing on the Esmee Fairbairn Food fund here.

A short video clip from when East Salford project Grow Cook Eat visited Glebelands market garden in Sale, to pick up tips for their 'urban guerilla' gardening plans to transform the alleyways of Salford. According to the Soil Association, Glebelands is the UK's only peri-urban (on the edge of the city) organic market garden, which is a very worrying statistic. The video features Lesley Bryson, who co-ordinates Glebelands, and Kevin Coakley from St. Sebastians Community Centre in Salford.

Cuban visionary Roberto Perez will be doing a public talk in Manchester on September 24th, about how Cuba made their rapid transition to a low energy, sustainable society. During what became known as their 'Special Period', the people of Cuba transformed their urban neighbourhoods into green, food producing environments. With oil supplies peaking, UK citizens are being forced to pay increasingly higher food and energy bills. As part of his UK tour, Perez will be sharing his experiences with Manchester people, about how communities can work together, to be more self-reliant, and develop solutions to global food insecurity by growing our own food around the City.         

 Leafy Street garden in Hulme is once again under threat - local residents have not been sticking to our agreements, and the council is threatening to turf over this amazing community asset, because it is a bit messy. A guy in a suit from our new social landlord, South City walked round the garden and proclaimed, "It can't stay like this!" The question I am asking is what our new social landlords are going to do, to help preserve and improve this immense social asset, on their manor??  

Report by Rob Squires on Manchester's new Food and Wellbeing Group

Creative Local Solutions have been commissioned by Manchester Food Futures to raise funds from the Big Lottery Local Food Fund, on behalf of the community and voluntary sector in Manchester.