Connecting and Supporting our Local Food Partnerships
OASES and Food Durham have been awarded nearly £180k in funding from the National Lottery Community Fund as part of a three year program. This funding is enabling Food Durham to work strategically to develop a sustainable local food system as well as supporting communities to grow their own food. This will help to create a thriving local food culture in County Durham. Amy Mycock has been appointed as the new Food Durham Co-ordinator and supports the strategic partnership, provide events and networking opportunities within and across communities and strengthen links with community-based networks by supporting community groups and schools to grow, prepare and cook locally grown food. The project aims to facilitate access to locally grown, healthy and affordable food for all.
Vision
Food Durham, the County Durham Food Partnership, coordinates a vibrant, representative and independent food partnership in County Durham that stimulates and joins up activity across the whole food system from grassroots to strategic level. Food Durham’s vision is to develop a system that enables food that is good for people, the planet and the local economy of County Durham to be accessed by everyone.
This vision will be achieved by leading a strategic and collaborative approach to good food governance and action, focusing on our key themes:
Taking a Strategic and collaborative approach to good food governance and action
Building public awareness, active food citizenship and a local good food movement
Tackling food poverty and diet related ill-health and increasing access to affordable healthy food
Creating a vibrant prosperous, and diverse sustainable food economy
Transforming catering and procurement and revitalising local and sustainable food supply chains
Tackling the climate and nature emergency through sustainable food and farming and an end to food waste
Structure
Food Durham is hosted by the Outdoor and Sustainability Education Specialists (OASES), who employ a Food Durham Co-ordinator. The Co-ordinator reports to the Food Durham Advisory Group, which sets the strategic direction of the food partnership. This group is made up of organisations from the community, voluntary, public and private sectors such as Durham County Council, Public Health, NHS, Visit County Durham, Durham University, Durham Community Action, local food producers and growers and community group members.
Why do we need Food Durham?
Food Durham is one of more than 100 food partnerships in the Sustainable Food Places (SFP) network in the UK. Food Durham is working to transform our local food system with the aim of improving public health and wellbeing; fostering community connection and resilience; building prosperous and diverse local food economies; and helping to tackle the critical sustainability issues of waste and the climate and nature emergency. Food Durham is made up individuals, communities and the public and private sectors working together to create a better food system.