Despite a night of atrocious weather, forty representatives of Greater Manchester food organisations made it to Bridge 5 Mill at the end of October for an evening of wine, catching up and a gorgeous photo farmer exhibition to launch the Sustainable Food Vision for Greater Manchester.
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Last month, six sustainable food advocates and practitioners from Lancaster spent a day with us at Woodbank, scoping out the potential to create Lancaster’s own FarmStart programme. Together they’re already doing a lot to tackle food challenges in the city, and it sounds like a FarmStart scheme could be next.
Former members of the Kindling team, Alex and Bailey were instrumental in co-ordinating the FarmStart programme and developing and running Veg Box People. In March they left for pastures new (literally), to a five acre organic farm in Devon.
Current Kindling member Lyndsey, who is participating in our Commercial Growers Course, visited them there at Haye Farm during October to lend a hand on the land, have a good catch up, and learn about their growing journey so far...
Where has the time gone? Incredibly fast, and it feels like I have only just touched the surface on learning about Stockfree Organic Growing. My 1st year is nearly coming to an end and it has been amazing and hard work. Learning to be observant, keeping detailed records, being creative on how you see things. Not to get stuck into one way of doing and also to communicate and work within the team.
On Thursday 19th October we're launching not one but two celebrations of sustainable food, at an informal get-together at Bridge 5 Mill;
- Unlikely Heroes photographic exhibition, featuring some familiar faces!
- Greater Manchester Sustainable Food Vision, developed collectively by our region's sustainable food movement
Join us! Thursday 19th October, 7pm, Bridge 5 Mill. All welcome.
Geography student Ellie spent the summer learning about alternative food systems with us... hands on!
Agriculture is key to a healthy planet and no system of farming does more to protect soil, water and biodiversity than organic. Being an organic grower is an incredibly fulfilling job, nourishing people and planet. But it's also fraught with risk, underpaid, and incredibly hard work! Is it for you??
'Tomorrow' screening with Feeding Stockport - 6.30pm, Thursday 21st September at Seven Miles Out Arts Centre, Market Place, Stockport
Buy tickets here.
In early May, just as our urban horticulture hub at Woodbank Park was springing back into life, it became home to an innovative new way of linking local food with health and wellbeing.
Towards the end of July, Team Kindling traded in our wellies and wheel barrows for banners and placards, taking to the streets of Blackpool united with ‘Farmers Against Fracking’ in Lancashire. As part of a month of protest with Reclaim the Power at the Cuadrilla drilling site in Blackpool, we proudly stood with food growers and environmental activists from around the UK to support those resisting the first UK attempt to extract fracked gas on a commercial scale.