Residents involved in community food projects in Warwickshire still have three weeks to apply to Warwickshire County Council’s Kind Communities-Kind Food Grant fund.
The fund, which is being delivered in partnership with Warwickshire & Solihull Community and Voluntary Action (WCAVA), aims to support local projects across the county that empower communities to make more affordable, healthy, and sustainable food choices.
Julie Smith, a recipient from the first round of funding for The Edible Garden project in Nether Whitacre, North Warwickshire, explains:
“With the support of this grant fund, we were able to kickstart The Edible Garden project in our small, rural village. This initially involved getting some basic site preparation underway such as clearing out old shrubs, installing three bar fencing, and making our own gates.
“We had already been donated some pallet collars, which we installed and then used the funding to purchase our first set of crops. This included herbs, various salad crops, french and runner beans, and sweetcorn. The funding also helped us to buy some protection netting once we discovered the local wildlife was enjoying the planting a bit too much!
“The local youth club has been involved in learning how to plant some winter crops at the project site and helping us to harvest some of the produce. Volunteers have also assisted us with shrub clearance, mulching to suppress weeds, rotovating the land, building composters, maintaining the fencing and gates, and water catchment in our large IBC water containers.
“We are really grateful that the grant has helped us to launch this project and bring so many people from our local community together. The Edible Garden’s polytunnel has also recently been completed and we are hoping to have an even earlier start to the growing season in 2025”.
The Edible Garden
The second round of the Kind Communities - Kind Food Grant is providing a total of £28,500 funding to support food projects across the county and is now open for applications.
Applicants will be able to apply for up to £1,000 per project, and each project must demonstrate how it will support at least one of the following Food Strategy priorities:
- Improving food affordability and access - help residents to access more affordable, local, or healthier food choices, and in this way contribute to a reduction in food insecurity.
- Education and choice - provide knowledge and awareness to help people implement more nutritious and healthier diets; for example, about meal preparation, how to correctly store food, healthy recipes, or what nutrients and health benefits can be found from eating different types of food.
- Sustainable choices - encourage or provide locally sourced food options to help with a reduction in Warwickshire of ‘food miles’, or support the reduction and recycling of food waste.
Entries can be submitted using this application form, and the deadline to apply is 5pm on Friday 13 December 2024. Support with the application process is also available from WCAVA’s Funding and Group Development Officers by emailing kckf@wcava.org.uk.
Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said:
“This fund is a great opportunity for community groups to get a much needed boost in delivering their local food projects that align with the County Council’s Food Strategy objectives.
“We want to create opportunities for everyone across the county to make healthier and more affordable food choices that lead to happier, healthier, and more independent lives, and so I encourage anyone that is working on a local community food project to apply”.
The Edible Garden
The grant contributes towards the wider work of the Warwickshire Food Strategy 2023-26, which has been developed by the Warwickshire Food Forum partnership. To learn more, visit the Warwickshire Food Strategy webpages on SearchOut Warwickshire.
For full details about the grant, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/kindcommunities