Get Growing Information Evening - 29th February 2012
Posted on Jan 25, 2012 by Pete Keane | Comments (0)
Somerset Land and Food is a three year Lottery funded project, hosted by Somerset Community Food, and designed to help councils and residents respond to the national surge of interest in growing food.
This recent increased demand for allotments has highlighted the varying provision of community growing space in the county - some parishes lack provision altogether, while some have long waiting lists. Over the past two years project staff have conducted research, built networks and supported new groups in all the districts, surveying and recording our findings at www.foodmapper.org.uk If your allotment does not yet feature on our map, please get in touch.
In February 2012 we will be focusing our efforts in Sedgemoor and will be holding a free Get Growing Information evening for Parish and Town Councils, landowners and residents on Wednesday 29th February 2012 from 7pm – 9pm in the Sedgemoor Room, Bridgwater House, Kings Square, Bridgwater, TA6 3AR.
Linda Hull, co-ordinator of Somerset Land and Food will open the evening with a brief summary of the current provision and demand for growing land in Sedgemoor.
Our special guest speaker is Allan Cavill, SW Director of the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardens (NSALG). Over the last few years, together with councils and growing enthusiasts, Allan has nurtured the establishment of more than 50 new sites across the region, many of them in Somerset. Allan will outline successful routes to finding land including top tips for negotiating the common issues faced by councils seeking to implement this statutory duty. These can include lack of council owned land, unavailability of nearby land to buy or rent and juggling budget priorities. Allan offers step by step know how to developing self managed modern sites at little or no cost to the taxpayer which at the same time bring huge community benefits.
The evening will be a chance to learn, be inspired and network with others seeking to make land available for cultivation across the district. Please do join us to hear about the support on offer to get your new project started. Details of our Summer Conference in Glastonbury will also be announced.
Who should attend:
- parish clerks and councillors
- allotment associations
- those on allotment waiting lists
- anyone seeking land to grow food on
- public and private landowners including farmers keen to find out more about leasing land for community growing
To make sure the evening is well attended and the word gets out to anyone who is interested, I attach a simple flyer which can be printed out and displayed. I would be very grateful if anyone were willing to do this and to put flyers in prominent places in your location.
Please pass this invitation to any landowners who might be willing to make land available in Sedgemoor District. Please pass this invitation to those on waiting lists in your area or to parish magazines for wider publication.
Please note there is limited capacity in the meeting room at Sedgemoor and booking is essential. You can book your place by visiting this link:
http://www.somersetcommunityfood.org.uk/index.php?page=growing-connections-in-sedgemoor
Thank you very much for your attention!
Best wishes
Linda Hull
Somerset Community Food
34 Chamberlain St
Wells
BA5 2PJ
t: 01749 678770
m: 07772 655035
e: linda.hull@somersetcommunityfood.org.uk
w: http://www.somersetcommunityfood.org.uk
STOP PRESS:
FoodMapper is now live. Visit http://www.foodmapper.org.uk/ to map the local food resources in your area.
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