Missed our Summer Food Vale Gathering? Catch up here!
On 23rd August Vale over 20 foodies gathered in Rhoose Community Centre to connect with one another and discuss ideas for the local food system.
Attendees included local gardeners, educators, growers, business owners, activists and more. The event was hosted by Food Vale – the Vale’s sustainable food partnership, which seeks to build a healthy and sustainable local food system. Food Vale gatherings take place once every 3 months. The purpose of the gatherings is to make a space for local people and projects to connect, as well as forming a collective voice for wider change.
The evening began with a chance for everyone to introduce themselves, and we were blown away with the level of experience, passion and dedication amongst those present. Louise Denham – coordinator of Food Vale – then went on to highlight a few key future activities, including the development of a Vale Food Strategy beginning this autumn.
Following on from the last Food Vale meet-up in March, the group discussed ways in which we might be able to take advantage of existing funding opportunities to improve the local food system. One of the key ideas that was discussed was the development of a network of community kitchens. The group hopes to develop this idea further, and make a case for a feasibility study to be conducted to explore:
- Needs of local community groups and businesses who would use the kitchens
- Examples of Community Kitchen models from around the world
- Potential locations for community kitchens in the Vale of Glamorgan – considering accessibility and existing infrastructure
- Suitable governance and operating models
- How the kitchens might be made financially sustainable
One attendee stated “we need the wisdom of everyone in this room to help build our local food system”.
If you have an idea, project, event or just an interest in good food that you’d like to bring to our next Food Vale meet-up, simply sign up to our newsletter for updates.
