GROWING DURHAM

Growing Durham encourages people across the county to grow some of their own food and provides support for them to turn their food growing ideas into reality.

But why bother – what’s the benefit to you as an individual of growing your own produce?

Well, it’s simple – those people who do have better access to fresh foods like fruit, vegetables and herbs.

However, they are also less dependent on a complex food system and so contribute to making food provision a little bit more resilient.

They are more likely to cook or learn to cook some of their meals using the fresh ingredients they have grown and by doing that they avoid additives and hidden salts and sugars, with all the health benefits that that brings.

Essentially, growing your own means you’ll be healthier, both mentally and physically, wealthier and more environmentally aware.

In 2015, Food Durham appointed two part-time development workers, Hannah Murray-Leslie and Peter Samsom, to work across the county to help create a network of new and diverse community growing schemes.  Find out more about their achievements here.

In the second phase of the project Growing Durham is working with partners to develop its work around ‘growing for wellbeing’.