Somerset Community Food now operates as part of Sustainable Food Somerset, which also includes:
- The Somerset Food Trail which celebrates the best of sustainably produced food
- LandAlive, our major new sustainable food and farming conference.
Established as a Registered Charity in 2001, our aim is to reconnect people with local healthy food through community action.
We support the network of community food projects active in Somerset, this includes:
- Growing projects such as community gardens
- Distribution projects such as food co-ops
- Healthy eating projects such as cookery classes
- Community seed swaps
We do this by:
- Running community food forums and conferences - bringing people together to celebrate successes and share good practice and ideas.
- Providing advice and information and continuing to update our extensive Resources pages about community food-related topics.
- Sharing news from the network and sending out a 'Incredible Edible Somerset' newsletter several times a year.
- Providing training. Our Get Set Cook and Get Set Grow courses equip people to grow and cook their own food, so people can benefit from access to fresh, nutritious food.
We have run many successful community food projects across the county, working with a variety of partners – please visit our past projects page for examples.
More recently we have worked with colleagues from Somerset County Council and Somerset Community Foundation, with the aim to support both new and existing community food growing projects across the county. We aim to empower communities across Somerset to support their residents and neighbours with all things food. Growing groups, communal allotments, and community cooking are ways in which skills and knowledge can be shared and fresh produce can be grown and enjoyed. Leading to stronger communities. Access to low cost fruit and vegetables and the ability to grow your own food, is crucial for creating a healthier and happier Somerset.
Explore our pages to:
- Find your local growing groups
- Get information about the grants available for community projects
- Gain advice on starting a new community growing group
- Find information for beginner gardeners on how to get started at home
In all our work we value:
Choice - We recognise that people have very different ideas about what constitutes 'good healthy food' and that a healthy diet can be achieved in different ways.
Inclusion - It is our policy to provide an inclusive environment to all. We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at the events we run. We are opposed to all forms of discrimination.
Compassion - We are committed to directing resources towards deprived people and communities in Somerset.
Mutual Support - We value the strength that comes from people working together in their local communities. By working together, we can achieve solutions to the problems that are faced in securing a healthy supply of local, nutritious food.
