October is a busy month in the world of food. The seasons are changing, it’s time for harvest and seed saving, and we're starting to prepare for the upcoming winter months and the challenges that come with this. October is Black History Month and World Food Day falls on October 16th. Read on for key events, support, funding and training available this month in this shorter edition of the Good Food Lewisham newsletter. More Good Food updates from our recent events coming soon...
Good Food Events
World Food Day
World Food Day is on 16th October. This year’s theme is ’water is life, water is food, leave noone behind.’
Refill Lewisham promotes access to free drinking water by signing up businesses throughout the borough to commit to filling up people’s water bottles for free anywhere you see the refill sign. Find out more on Lewisham Local’s website: Lewisham Refill - Lewisham Local. How are you celebrating World Food Day? Tag @gflewisham on socials and we will reshare.
Lewisham Council marks World Food Day by visiting Feed the Hill to see how their Community Food Justice Grant has supported their work to address food injustice in North Lewisham. Watch their video on Facebook, LinkedIn. Twitter
Find food, growing and business events happening throughout October as part of Lewisham’s Black History Month programme.
The 16th-22nd of October marks #LondonChallengePovertyWeek which has a focus on food insecurity and hunger. You can find resources, London poverty fact sheets and events on London Challenge Poverty Week website.
Did you know Lewisham Council has recently launched a Food Justice Action Plan to tackle food insecurity in #Lewisham? Lewisham Council - Food justice action plan. To support the delivery of the plan, join this upcoming meeting: Lewisham Food Justice Alliance and Food Justice Action Plan update Tickets, Thu 19 Oct 2023 at 12:00 | Eventbrite
Local action toward School Food For All this Wednesday 18 October
Hear from the trailblazers on their journeys toward school food for all. Find out what your area can do next toward a universal approach and an end to the postcode lottery on school meals.
Register now: https://bit.ly/FSM4AllWebinarSustain
Lewisham Local Monthly Online Breakfast Networking Meeting Tickets, Tue 24 Oct 2023 at 10:00 | Eventbrite
Lewisham Food Growing Network Meeting
We would like to invite you to the next Lewisham Growing Network in-person gathering, on Saturday 28th October, 11am - 5pm to learn about planting and propagation while connecting with other local food growers at Bridgehouse Gardens (61 Rollins Street, SE15 1EP).
Plateful Cafe's Iranian Community Dinner
Plateful Cafe's Iranian Community Dinner at Parkside Community Centre event tickets from TicketSource on Friday 27th of October
Cook and Share is back: 30th October – 24th November 2023 Running from 30th October – 24th November 2023 Cook and Share is Great Get Togethers’ autumnal campaign that brings people together in a feast of cooking, connection and conversation for when the nights are drawing in. Register events and find resources to support your cook and share activities.
Food Giving Groups Network
Our monthly food giving groups monthly online meet-up is happening next Thursday 2nd November at 1pm. If you are providing free or low-cost food in Lewisham, join us by registering via Eventbrite for this and every monthly meet up here: Good Food Lewisham Monthly Food Giving Groups Meeting Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
Are you part of an organisation who is planning to provide a Christmas meal or food around the holiday time? Community Connections and Lewisham Local are building a list of holiday provision - please email goodfood@lewishamlocal.com with details.
You can find our recent list of free or low-cost food in Lewisham on our website.
Support
Face-to-face Advice Sessions with Citizens Advice Lewisham
There are new face-to-face advice sessions with Citizens Advice Lewisham available at 4 places around the borough. Details can be found on Lewisham Council’s Cost-of-Living advice page
Get help to purchase fruit, veg and milk with Healthy Start
Energy advice sessions at your group
South East London Community Energy (SELCE) offers free impartial energy advice to help people struggling to pay their bills. For community groups, Selce offers a free visit from an energy advisor to give:
· 1:1 sessions, for personalised advice
· a 30-40 minute workshop, covering discounts, debt, grants, and the ‘Change to Save Challenge’ which offers ways to save energy around the home.
To book one or the other (or both) contact Flavia Bertram, flavia@selce.org.uk
Cookery Courses in Lewisham
Cookery - Low energy low-cost meals - FREE taster
Adult Education Lewisham is offering a free taster for people on low-incomes accessing food banks (or social supermarkets) in Lewisham for anyone who wishes to expand their knowledge in this area - Low energy low-cost meals. Following this, a 5-week session course will be offered for only £5 per person.
The taster session will provide: ‘Top tips on creating low energy low-cost meals for you and your family at home. A great opportunity to learn some basic cookery skills, get advice on the best way to use your own appliances more cost effectively and join like-minded people whilst cooking yourself a light afternoon snack with the support of our Chef.’
There are 8 places available and the session will take place 12.30-2.30pm at Granville Park Site, Lewisham (dates TBC depending on interest). For more detailed information and to express an interest, please contact the Curriculum Leader- Maria Turner - email: maria.turner@lewisham.gov.uk
We are mapping the cookery courses that are taking place in Lewisham. Are you aware of any others not on this list? Please email goodfood@lewishamlocal.com
Reducing Food Waste
Get your sustainable spook on!
Greener and Cleaner is launching a tasty recipe competition to help reduce food wastage this Halloween. An estimated eight million pumpkins will end up in UK bins this autumn – enough to make 95 million meals, and the charity, who offer positive actions and solutions to fight climate change, are determined to reduce this figure.
They’re encouraging the local community to share their best pumpkin and squash recipes for the chance to win a Green Hero award and a small prize! Recipes will become a free resource to inspire others to eat their pumpkin, reducing food waste and fighting both climate change and food poverty. A community grant from fellow environmental charity Hubbub, means that five prizes are up for grabs to the best pumpkin or squash recipes submitted in the competition.
To enter the pumpkin recipe competition: Use the subject line "Pumpkin recipe", and email your recipe to Tamasin@greenerandcleaner.co.uk by 12 noon on 2nd November.
Remember to include a basic list of ingredients and method, plus a photo or drawing of the result. Ideally, photos and drawings will be taken or completed by the entrant. Entries should include the full name and age of the entrant and should your recipe be owned by another person, company or entity, this should be clearly credited. You can read the full terms and conditions on Greener and Cleaner’s website: www.greenerandcleaner.co.uk.
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2023 Guardians of Grub Seminar
Good Food Lewisham and Lewisham Local hosted a food waste workshop seminar with the brilliant OXO Tower Chef- Andrea Zick .
Andrea guided us on the tools for the Guardians of Grub website on how to monitor and calculate our food waste and make huge reductions in waste. Leading to greater profitability to business and less emissions to the planet.
We would love to share this learning with you so have recorded the seminar for those interested in how to combat food waste in their business or catering workplaces.
Become a guardian of Grub Ambassador
Now is the time to Save your Seeds!
Tips on Seed Saving
(Photo right from the latest Good Food Network meeting which included a short demonstration of seed saving)
Good Food Business
Welcoming Petit Village in Deptford who recently signed up to the Good Food Business Charter and features on our growing Good Food Business Directory. Petit Village now accept the Healthy Start vouchers and offer a discount with the Lewisham Local Card on their fresh fruit and vegetables as well as smoothies.
A BIG thank you to Badger Badger in Deptford who hosted our recent Good Food Lewisham Business Network meeting for free earlier this month along with great coffee. Coffee was a key connection between a lot of the businesses who shared their social value commitments and priorities to making Lewisham a heathier, more sustainable place to live.
Volunteers Wanted!
Community Youth Fridge, based at Unit 19 alongside Bank of Things, are seeking a Volunteer to help with their Felix project food collection on Fridays.
If you have a vehicle and can spare an hour between 12 and 1pm on Fridays please send an email to hannah@lewishamlocal.com
For more info on Bank of Things and the Youth Fridge please visit www.bankofthingslewisham.org
If you are looking to volunteer with a local food project, you can find a number of roles on Lewisham Local's website: Volunteer with a local food bank or project - Lewisham Local
Training Opportunities
Drugs and Alcohol awareness training
Change Grow Live (CGL) are offering an in person training on Wednesday 18th of October at their offices at 410 Lewisham High Street between 11am-1pm. If you or any of your volunteers/teams would like to attend please email sherrie.hoare@cgl.org.uk directly for this date or future sessions. Session covers: basic drug and alcohol awareness, overdose awareness and naloxone.
Safeguarding training
Free training and networking event for staff and volunteers with any Lewisham voluntary or community group or activity. Suitable as a refresher, or for beginners.
Covers the essentials anyone working with the public should know, making it clear how to respond to safeguarding concerns. Led by Martin Crow Lewisham Safeguarding Adult Boards Business Manager.
· Online (training only): Tue 31st Oct 2023 6-7.30pm
· In-person, with time for networking and lunch:
Wed 22 November 2023 12-3pm, St.Laurence Centre, Catford, SE6 2TS
There’s more free safeguarding training on the Lewisham Safeguarding Adults Board Learning Zone Page. For further information email: martin.crow@lewisham.gov.uk
Funding
Cost of Living Challenge Fund - support for your trading to meet the needs of hard hit communities
Are you developing or growing an ambitious trading-based solution to support communities hit by the cost of living crisis?
Are you aiming to increase your trading by at least £15k by summer 2024?
We want to supercharge your trading plans, by challenging you to increase your trading, and supporting you through grant funding and a capacity building programme offering advice, training and support.
Overview
SSE’s Cost of Living Challenge Fund offers support to charities and social enterprises serving the most disadvantaged communities in England who are struggling most with the cost of living crisis – for example, those that are providing food, energy saving and warm spaces, access to essential goods, financial advice, essential transport, mental health support and access to housing.
What’s on offer
· A match trading grant of up to £25,000, with the possibility of rapid drawdown and further funds for exceptional performance.
· Capacity building support between Jan-July 2024 to help build your organisation’s resilience and sustainability and support your enterprise activity to meet increased demand.
For more information, visit our website for full guidelines and the online application form.
The application deadline is 10am on Thursday 9 November.
Looking for more fundraising support?
Join the Friday Fundraising Club WhatsApp for details of new funds, workshops and training opportunities and how to access further support. WhatsApp Group Invite
Energy - funding for community groups
If you are part of a local community group and would like to cut your energy bills, or help others to, you can apply for funding through the Lewisham Community Energy Fund. Community Energy Fund
Deadline: noon, 18 December 2023
o Stream A – Feasibility and business case development (up to £10,000 per project)
o Stream B – Project implementation and delivery (up to a third of the capital value, capped at £10,000)
o Stream C - Innovation and pre-feasibility development (up to £5,000 per project)
o Stream D -Training, events, and engagement (up to £5,000 per project)
There are two question and answer sessions – details on webpage, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Andrew Karune, South London Energy Partnership Manager: Andrew.Karune@lewisham.gov.uk or 07557 215336
Lewisham Local, the ICB and Lewisham Mental Health Alliance are launching a second Warm Welcomes programme for winter 2023-24
Grants of £1,000-£5,500 are available to community organisations to enhance their food and activity offers over the winter, to help residents facing food and fuel insecurity.
Information, criteria and details on how to apply are available here: Lewisham Warm Welcomes Funding Programme 2023-24 - Lewisham Local. A Q&A session will be held on 17 October; details are in the link.
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If you have good food updates which you would like us to share in next month's newsletter, please email goodfood@lewishamlocal.com or tag us on social media.
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