'Mapping Local Food Webs' project gets off to a flying start
Knutsford has been chosen to host one of the pilots of a National Lottery funded Local Food Web scheme, instigated by the CPRE and as part of the Making Local Food Work Programme. This programme is part of a national drive by CPRE to study local food webs with a view to increasing the accessibility of local, freshly produced food to local communities.
The participation of volunteers will be central to the success of the scheme. In order for the CPRE to conduct its research, local community groups will be needed to survey, document, and share opinions on the local food network in and around Knutsford. This gathering of data will form part of the Knutsford pilot, using an ‘action pack’ that has been designed by Coventry and Warwick Universities and Alex Imman Consulting. This action pack will enable local communities to map the social, economic and environmental impact that local food has on their community, and to plan for further action based on the results.
Volunteers are needed for the project to:
- be involved in the steering group.
- do a screening survey of local retailers.
- conduct questionnaires with consumers, retailers and producers.
- enter data collected into database.
- help with running workshops.
- help with action planning next steps.
In addition to the positive effect on the community, some potential benefits to individuals of volunteering with the project include:
- meeting new people.
- learning new skills. Develop research skills amongst the Local Research Team, as well as team working and communication skills.
- developing your understanding of issues around local food, of some of the challenges facing local foodwebs and some of the benefits of local food for local places.
- identifying possibilities for new community based initiatives to promote local food (e.g.festivals, events).
- collecting information that can be used to influence policy and decision making locally and nationally.
- building relationships within the community – between inhabitants, shop keepers, farmers, policy makers, etc.
The workshop and networking event will take place on Wednesday 18th February, 7.00-9.00pm, St. John the Baptist Church Hall, Church Hill, Knutsford, WA16 6DH. Everybody is welcome. We hope to see you there!
Click here for a map.
If you would like more information, or want to be involved but can’t attend the meeting, please contact Helen Meade, North West Regional Coordinator -
helenm@cpre.org.uk
Tel: 07833 250134