Food & Growing Group

 

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This page tells you a bit about our group - what we do, how you can get involved. And it points you towards places where you can find out more, like our wiki and newsletters, and our Project Dirt Group, where you can start discussions with other members. 

Helping Bees ... 

Cities can play a special role in helping bees and you could be a Brixton Bee Saviour! Book your place on our Natural Bee Keeping Course, Saturday, July 31st, 2010 (before July 2nd if possible). We have arranged this with the Natural Beekeeping Trust as preparation for establishing our own hives and to encourage others to consider taking that step. See details on our Project Dirt invitation: http://www.projectdirt.com/events/natural-beekeeping-course

 

Did you come to the ULTIMATE community think tank day on food and growing in Brixton? See photos, visions, ideas and plans on our Wiki page http://transitiontowns.org/Brixton/FUTUREFOOD

 

Our last open meeting and NEW GREEN DRINKS VENUE...

was on March 1st, 2010 at the Loughborough Centre. We hope to have our next one soon. In the mean time, you can join us every third Wednesday of the month at Brixton Green Drinks. The next one is on Wednesday 21st July, 7.00pm, Duke of Edinburgh, 204 Ferndale Road, Brixton, SW9 8AG (map - up from main post office, left under railway). NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE OF VENUE, WE HAVE MOVED FROM THE TRINITY ARMS AS THEY AREN'T ABLE TO ACCEPT THE BRIXTON POUND.  We'll be sitting together on a table talking food and people can mill as they like. Click This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to email us if you want to get more involved before then - we have regular meetings of volunteers and coordinators, so you could come along to one of those.  

 

Upcoming Courses and Events!

Go to our Food EVENTS LISTINGS  for details of all upcoming local events - with a particular focus on foooood! And don't forget Brixton Green Drinks on the third Wednesday of every month (7pm Duke of Edinburgh - NOTE NEW VENUE).

 

What we do...

We are currently working on a mission statement and vision, as well as an Energy Descent Action Plan to take us to 2025. Can you help us? You can find full details on our Wiki, which you can edit yourself, or you  can send comments by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or join the "Draft Mission and Vision" discussion on Project Dirt.

Our members (there's over 500 of them!) are interested in a number of things :

  • finding out about local food suppliers and more about how to start growing their own food;
  • reskilling (cooking, growing, permaculture, food preservation);
  • starting their own community growing and composting projects;
  • getting involved in some of TTBs own initiatives (more below)

Our aim is to support and meet the needs of as many of our members as we can, and to get as many as possible actively engaged at a local level. This is all with the larger purpose of representing the local food security interests of Brixton by taking action to make food sustainability and resilience a reality and contributing to a Brixton-wide vision and Energy Descent Action Plan.


Our Projects...

The Food and Growing Group is looking for people to join in a number of project strands which have specific aims. Please look at the brief descriptions below and email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in leading on or helping with any of the following initiatives. You can read more about these strands on the minutes of the 9/2/09 meeting (on the Wiki), but most are outlined below.This is a great opportunity for you to take a lead on something you care strongly about and really make a difference in Brixton. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Composting Posse: looking at the obstacles, legal issues, stakeholders and potential options for composting more food, leaves and green waste in Brixton

Food Hub: working with stakeholders to examine the options for local food supply and methods of distribution.

Growing Pack: Collating knowledge on local food growing projects to create a resource pack for new community projects

Cookers&Eaters: Carrying out regular local and seasonal food cooking and eating in houses or on the streets and filming it to post on the web with recipes

Food Map: Designing a survey for local food suppliers (retail, wholesale, restaurants etc) to determine their sourcing policies and create a local food directory

Green Map: Working on ways to identify potential growing spaces around Brixton and mapping them with photos to grow our vision

Reskilling &Informing: Working on a series of diverse events (talks, films, workshops and happenings) to inform and engage people on bigger food issues and give them new skills.

Local Policy: Carrying forward the Brixton-wide food agenda and creating relationships with the Council to smooth the path to the future

 

Find Our More...

The best way to stay in the loop is to join our mailing list so you get our (roughly) monthly newsletters and events listings. You will also get invites to our meetings and workshops.  Just send us an email entitled This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ... and we'll add you to the list! It would also be really helpful if you could take the time to tell us what you skills and interests are - from growing to cooking, green roofs to composting! We have members with lots of different passions and we might be able to introduce you to people with the same interests as you.

 

Go to our Wiki page

This is where we post the minutes of our meetings and other working docs (like our mission and vision) and other things, like links to our Fruit and Nut Tree Map. There are also a lot of reports, links and bits of information on things like funding and London food security. There is also a section on community growing projects, (incuding the ABUNDANCE project) with useful example docs. It's a very useful site so do have a rummage! 

You can download the newsletters from the wiki as word documents - they too are useful to read through if you're trying to find out what's going on as they keep our members updated on projects, events and useful links which may not be elsewhere on the wiki.

 

Go to our Project Dirt group

Project Dirt is home to lots of groups, many from south London, who want to make a difference and help the environment. Just join project Dirt (its free and very quick) and you will have access to all these groups and lists of events coming up. Then you can also join our group: the Brixton Food and Growing Group and comment on discussion, start your own or write a blog about your own expereinces and ideas.

You can also download our newsletters from a box on our group page. But the best way to keep directly in touch with us is still to join our mailing list (email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )