FRESH FINDINGS
a guide to carrying out food mapping
This document is intended as a guide for anyone interested in assessing access to healthy foods in their local community.
The document is not a "how-to" manual. It is based on our own experience of food mapping, with some help from other relevant guides, research papers, policy papers, etc. We have included an account of what we did, along with practical tips we picked up along the way, incuding sections on:
getting started – collecting background information and getting to know your area
local and national policy
how to make useful contacts within your community
suggestions on where to carry out your consultation
some useful references and websites
Whilst we do not claim to be experts, we believe that our experience of food mapping – the pitfalls and successes – will provide useful information to anyone planning to carry out similar work. What does and does not work will vary from area to area but the information contained in this guide is intended as a starting point for you to design your own methods of consultation in your area.
Good
luck with your project!
A full report of the results of our food mapping research is also available from MERCi entitled "Fresh Evidence".
Introduction
Manchester Environmental Resource Centre initiative (MERCi) is a voluntary organisation working to make Manchester a greener, healthier, safer and more equitable place to live. The organisation is currently working on a number of projects with this aim in mind.
Our work on food began with the realisation that many communities were losing local shops and having to travel further to buy food, which can create difficulties for those who have no transport, who have mobility problems, or who have small children. This is of particular concern in the case of fresh foods which are essential to a healthy diet, but because of their perishability, need to be used as freshly as possible to gain full nutritional advantage.
We realised that the locality in which our premises are based was just such an area, and so our work on food has started here, with plans to carry out similar projects in other parts of the city in the future.
Diet and Health – the local and national context
The links between food and health are well documented - individuals relying on diets containing little fresh produce are more likely to suffer from illness and even early death than those who eat a more varied diet. A high proportion of fresh foods in the diet, particularly fruit and vegetables, promote better health, whilst those diets which are high in saturated fats, sugar and salt are one of the causal factors of a number of diseases, including coronary heart disease, cancers, hypertension, obesity and diabetes.
Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of a poor diet. Research shows evidence that what is eaten in childhood affects health in later life, and also suggests that poor diet can affect a childs behaviour and educational performance. With Manchester's poor life expectancy (boys can expect to live almost eight years fewer, and girls almost seven years fewer than their contemporaries in Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster(1)), and high incidence of chronic diseases, it seems likely that steps taken to improve the diets of local people would lead to a decrease in morbidity and mortality rates. (see glossary on p for explanation of terms)
Current policy
A recognition of the issues at national level means that projects dealing with food issues are beginning to appear in many parts of the country. The national "Five a Day" programme set up to increase access to fruit and vegetables and make a healthy diet a real choice for everyone means that statutory workers are seeing promotion of healthier diets as an important part of their role; in schools, the National School Fruit Scheme and Food in Schools programme are helping to provide children with a better diet, whilst encouraging good habits to be established in the early years.
For our project, this has meant that we were able to make links and build up networks with other organisations, which have provided support to us, both in terms of finance and specialist knowledge. Our acknowledgement of this support appears on the back page of this document.
Some examples of documents and programmes supporting dietary improvements are:
One of the key aims of the government's health strategy is "to improve the health of the population as a whole by increasing the length of people's lives and the number of years people spend free from illness", (Our Healthier Nation, HMSO, 1998) with access to healthy food included as a component of the strategy.
Increasing the availability of healthier food products to the local population is cited as a national target in the prevention of coronary heart disease (Coronary Heart Disease – guidance for implementing the preventive aspects of the National Service Framework, NHS Health Development Agency 2001)
Manchester City Council aims to "improve diet and nutrition, especially fruit and vegetable consumption", (Manchester City Council Community Strategy, 2002 – 2012.)
A national five-a-day programme to increase access to fruit and vegetables and make a healthy diet a real choice for everyone (NHS Cancer Plan – a plan for investment, a plan for reform, Department of Health, 2000)
The National School Fruit Scheme will make a piece of fruit available to school children aged four to six each school day.
What is food poverty?
It would be easy to believe that following a healthy diet is a choice available to all of us. Supermarkets are offering us a wider variety of food than ever before, and a wealth of information on healthy eating is available. But for some sections of the community, this choice may be limited for a number of reasons:
Loss of local food shops which are unable to compete with large supermarkets opening up on the edges of residential areas: In some areas, small shops have either closed down, or limit their stock to non-perishables, leaving what are known as "food deserts". This has left some areas with not only an inadequate number of food outlets, but has also created difficulties for residents of those localities in accessing a healthy diet, particularly with regard to fresh fruit and vegetables. For those with limited means of transport, those with mobility problems, or families with young children, this can turn food shopping into a difficult, time-consuming and sometimes expensive chore.
Lack of money: For people on a low income, food expenditure is often the most flexible part of the budget, meaning that this is one of the first things to be cut when things are tight. Because high fat and sugary foods tend to be more filling, providing more "calories per penny", they are often relied upon as staples, which can lead to health problems including coronary heart disease, some forms of cancer, and obesity. Choice of foods is usually limited to the "tried and tested", as buying new foods which may not be liked, and therefore wasted, is an unaffordable risk.
Lack of cooking skills: With cooking instruction no longer forming part of the national curriculum, many people have little idea of how to cook healthy, nutritious meals, and basic skills are in danger of being lost to whole generations, who are becoming dependent on convenience foods which are often low in nutrients and high in sugars, fats and salt.
Pressure from advertising: Many adverts shown on television during children's viewing slots are for foods which are high in fats, sugar and salt, and children are easily influenced by them, leading to extra pressure for parents, and often influencing the diet of a whole family.
Why food mapping?
Food mapping is a way of finding out what is available to the local community, in terms of healthy foods. Although local shops may exist, it is often the case that they do not stock perishable foods, and are themselves suffering from having to compete with large supermarkets, or from problems such as vandalism. Other shops and markets may exist on the periphery of communities, but are people able to reach them easily when they need to? Does the necessary public transport exist or do people have to use taxis? How do people with young children and those with mobility problems manage? Are there any existing or potential sources of growing food – eg allotments, community gardens, community orchards? Talking to local residents and shop owners helps to identify the real source of the problems, and offers local people the opportunity to say what they would like to happen, to improve the situation.
In some areas of the country found to be lacking in provision of healthy food, a variety of community-led schemes have been initiated, including food co-operatives, community cafes, community gardens and allotments, box schemes, farmers markets and community supported agriculture schemes. Breakfast clubs are being initiated in some schools, and cookery classes, or cook and taste sessions are also being offered to some communities. Besides improving local people’s access to fresh food, there are other benefits, which are outlined below.
An explanation of the different types of schemes can be found at the back of this document, along with specific examples.
What are the benefits of local schemes?
Easier access to fresh foods is clearly beneficial to the diets of local people, leading to long-term improvements in health. But there are other benefits:
Economic benefits: Local businesses depend upon and support each other, leading to a more sustainable economy. This in turn creates more jobs, allowing a sense of local ownership leading to increased confidence in local communities. In local food production, costs such as transport, packaging, colouring, advertising and profit-margins are reduced, leading to fairer rates for producers and lower costs for consumers. Undeveloped countries providing cheap labour to grow food for supermarkets could also eventually benefit – instead of using their best agricultural land to produce food for our supermarkets, they would be able to use it to grow food for themselves, creating their own local food systems.
Environmental benefits: A high proportion of our food travels many miles by air, sea and road, to get to shops (known as "food miles"). Producing more food locally would cut down on unneccessary transportation, meaning that the food reaching our plate would be fresher and the environment would benefit from less traffic pollution. The over-packaging favoured by supermarkets to protect food during transportation and to seduce us into buying is often unrecyclable. Local foods would use less, therefore reducing the amount of waste burying or incineration and consequently the amount of pollution.
Social benefits: Community led schemes can lead to increased social interaction between different groups. People get to know each other, share interests, and learn new skills together, and develop a sense of belonging in their community.
Health benefits: Besides the previously mentioned benefits that arise from an improved diet, food produced locally is fresher, and because it takes less time to get to the consumer does not require additives to keep it "saleable". Because of closer links between the producer and consumer, the producer is less likely to take risks and liberties with preservatives and artificial chemicals2
Vitamin and mineral levels may be affected by the length of time between picking and eating, and also by whether the crops are organically grown. A report from the Soil Association stated that Vitamin C and dry matter contents are higher, on average, in organically grown crops (Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health, Soil Association). Another report shows that there is little difference in the Vitamin C content of spinach, whether used straight from the garden, or frozen, but when bought from a source, which may have been harvested three days before, the Vitamin C content is around 20% less than when harvested. 3
Food mapping in Miles Platting and Ancoats
How we started
MERCi appointed their Urban Food Research Worker in July 2002, having carried out background work which had identified a lack of local sources of fresh fruit and vegetables.
The main remit was to consult with local people on access to fresh food locally and find out what sources were available to them, as well as organise and key into events which would facilitate local consultation, raise local awareness of the work that MERCi was doing around food, and highlight healthy eating issues.
The worker was supported by an advisory group of four people –two MERCi workers, who had initiated the project - one of whom acted as line manager, the other being a member of the management committee; a community dietitian; and a community development worker. The different members of the group were chosen for specific knowledge which was relevant to the work – the MERCi workers for continuity from previous work, and for knowledge of environmental issues around food poverty; the community development worker for knowledge of contacts in the area; the community dietitian for knowledge of food and health issues
Background information about the area
Finding out background information about the area in the early stages will help you to focus, may start to get you known in the area, and will save you time later on.
Practical tips
Decide the boundaries of the area you are going to look at.
It may help to be introduced to the area by a local if you are an outsider.
Statistics on the population of the area, and its make up, can be obtained from your local authority (council), primary care trust, or health authority. You can also use the website “www. neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk” which has information about populations, health statistics, age breakdown, car ownership, employment statistics, etc, and can be focussed upon a small locality.
Take time to walk around the area, seeing what's there – getting the "feel" of the area - can be a good source of information and contacts. Even if you have lived in the area for years, it's worth doing with a "new head on".
Take every opportunity to publicise your work.
The atmosphere of an area can change with the time of day, day of the week, or with school holidays, etc – try different times.
Being seen out and about is good and helps build up trust and familiarity.
Identify public buildings and find out as much as you can about events taking place there. Make a note of where you could hold your own events.
Find out whether there are any regeneration schemes going on in your area – your local council will have information - and key into them if you can. You can then find out about plans for the area, consultation processes, and you may even find a source of funding.
What we did and what we found out
The designated area of work was Ancoats and Miles Platting, which has a population of about 6,000 people, many of whom are unemployed or on a low income. Our organisation had done community work in the area previously, so we already had some information on the population there. What we did not have was obtained from the "Manchester Public Health Annual Report 2002 Compendium of Statistics" and the website www.neighbourhoood.statistics.gov.uk.
The geographical area we were covering was fairly self-contained, and consisted mainly of local authority housing, with a small number of housing association and some owner occupied propeties. The boundaries of the area were defined by major roads on three and a half sides. The houses are mainly built in short-run terraces, and the vast majority have small gardens to front and rear, and most appear well-kept. There are also several high rise blocks, one being a sheltered housing complex. The area can be difficult to navigate, as many of the roads are cul-de-sacs, or come to an abrupt end at the canal bank, or with a grassy area. There are industrial buildings both on the fringe and in the centre of the area. Some remain unused, but others have been renovated for buisiness and community use. The area is currently attracting attention and investment, the housing being the subject of a Private Finance Initiative Scheme, as part of a wider regeneration of East Manchester.
Getting to know the area better
Gathering information in the early days by simply walking around, getting to know the general layout, and where shops and community buildings were situated, was time well spent. Before the start of the school holidays the area was quiet, but in later weeks, during the school holidays, more people were out and about and our worker was approached by local people who asked if she was lost. This provided an opportunity to explain the work, and helped make some of the first contacts, who were a good source of information about community groups, etc. Those contacts were also later sent questionnaires to complete. The fact that a stranger was identified in this way brought home the fact that very few people visit from outside the area.
Community buildings were identified: swimming baths, library, health centres, churches, social clubs, schools and under-fives centres, sheltered housing complexes, etc. and were marked on a map in the office as potential places to make contact with local people.
Gathering the information
The core part of your work – clarity of your aims at the beginning starts you off in the right direction
Practical tips:
Decide how many people you want to reach – this might be a percentage of the total population. Be realistic about how many people you can reach and don't aim so high that you are disappointed later on.
Be clear about what the research is for. Very early on, define exactly what your aims are – this helps to keep you on track.
There are lots of methods of consultation – interviewing, questionnaire, participatory appraisal, etc. Find out all you can about different methods before making your decision. Consider whether you need any training to carry it out.
Time – yours and your respondents – is an important factor in information gathering. If time is limited, don't overstretch yourself.
If there are existing groups in your area, try to go out to them, rather than expecting people to come to you. People are often reluctant to come to new groups, and it helps you to find out more information about what’s going on in your area.
If questionnaires or interviews are used:
Pilot your questions and be prepared to make changes.
Some people find questionnaires daunting – so if you use one, keep it as simple as possible.
Offering to complete questionnaires for people can avoid issues of poor literacy.
Some questions may seem very personal – but if they are going to bring in valuable information, try them – they can be changed if they don't go down well after initial pilotting.
If necessary, explain why you are asking the questions.
Ideally, be on hand when questionnaires are being completed – this brings a better response.
Log responses as you receive them – otherwise you have a huge task at the end. It also helps you monitor who you are reaching.
What we did
The aims of our project were:
to reach as many residents in our chosen area as possible, within the constraints of the project, and interview them about their day to day consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables and means of accessing fresh foods, with the emphasis on local availability
to gain an approximate measure of the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed by the local population
to identify any problems experienced by local people in accessing fresh foods, and assess current provision in local area
to assess local people's awareness of the importance of consumption of fruit and vegetables in their daily diet
to identify the potential for initiating schemes to improve current provision of fresh foods in the Miles Platting and Ancoats area, and local interest in doing so
We needed a method of consulting with local people which was not too time consuming since the research was to be completed in six months. It was also felt that it was vital to have our own research completed swiftly to influence the ongoing regeneration proposals. Because a lot of consultation had taken place already in connection with this, we had some concerns that residents may be tiring of being approached, and also sceptical of the difference it would make. Ideally, we would have used participatory appraisal methods (which involves training a group of local people to carry out the consultation), but due to time and funding constraints this was not possible. We therefore decided that a questionnaire would be the most appropriate, since it could be taken to a variety of venues by the worker or a colleague, and could be made quickly available for any opportunity. Also, it would not take up too much time for each respondent.
See list of useful websites on p for further information on methods of consultation
A list of the main questions was identified: shopping habits; people's reasons for using (or not using) local shops; how often they ate fresh fruit and vegetables. We kept the questionnaire as short as possible, and made the questions mainly multi-choice, requiring tick box answers. We decided that, wherever possible, someone should be on hand when the questionnaires were being completed, to assist with questions. We made a conscious decision not to ask questions about income, or how much money was available to them for food, as we felt these were very personal questions, and would have been asked many times before. With hindsight, a question on availability of money for food would have been helpful, since it clearly has a huge influence on how people eat.
The questionnaire was pilotted at a public event in August which highlighted some flaws, the main ones being: (a) we had not asked for sufficient personal information to be able to make links between groups of people and the kinds of problems they might be facing, and, (b) we had not asked people whether they were concerned about following a healthy diet – responses to this question would tell us whether the issue would be one of awareness raising as well as access. These questions were added, and the final questionnaire drawn up (see appendix ?)
We also decided to approach shops with a view to finding out what goods they stocked and why, what sold well, and who shopped there. Again we designed a short questionnaire to be used when interviewing shop owners. (see appendix ? for a copy).
Reaching local people
Talking to local people in a variety of settings should mean that you reach a good cross-section of the local population.
Practical tips:
Monitor who you are reaching and who you are not – try new places for difficult-to-reach groups (see section below on "What We Did").
You can gather phone numbers for local groups as you are walking round, in shop windows or from local community directories. “Umbrella” organisations such as Voluntary Action or Councils for Voluntary Service, have information on groups, as do Citizens Advice Bureaux, etc. Very often, contacting one group leads to information about another and statutory workers, such as health visitors, may also have useful information.
Try anywhere and everywhere – be brave - the response can be surprising (and occasionally disappointing).
Regular events such as coffee mornings, or tenants and residents groups, where people already know each other can lead to more discussion, and therefore information.
Consider whether school holidays, lunch-times, or the pattern of the school day make a difference to how many people are around – there may be someone who can guide you on this – like the health visitor at the clinic, or shop staff, etc.
People get bored waiting for appointments such as in doctors' surgeries and baby clinics, etc. – providing a great opportunity for you to approach people to interview them, offer information, or to complete a questionnaire.
Try to be available to help people with questionnaires – this brings a better response. They may have difficulty reading it – and you may gain extra information from chatting during the process.
If you can, wait for a dry and sunny (if possible!) day to approach people in the street.
If you are planning to consult with non-English speaking communities remember that they often have their own social outlets with a worker who can advise on the best way to go about this – expensive translations are not always needed.
What we did
The next stage was to identify where we could reach a wide range of people. With a population of 6,000 people, we decided to aim for 300 completed questionnaires (5%). We also considered the different groups which make up the community. At that stage we had not discovered specific figures for the area we chose to cover, but ones for the electoral ward were available from the Health Authority, and so these were used as a guide. The area is largely made up of working class white people, with a small community of Vietnamese families.
Our questionnaire was ready by August which tends to be a quiet month with schools closed, groups not meeting, and workers on holiday, and it is difficult to make contact with people. Therefore it was September before groups were contacted, appointments made, and the information gathering could begin.
Tenants Groups
These were a good source of contacts – there are a number of them in Miles Platting and Ancoats, but membership consists of a higher proportion of women and older members of the community. Almost everyone was happy to complete a questionnaire (those who had forgotten their glasses requested help!) so this was a good source of information. It was a good opportunity to get to know some of the people in the area, and many chatted away, asked questions, and some gave extra anecdotal information, that they did not write on the questionnaire.
There was one tenants group which we could not attend due to them having over-full agendas at the time, but the group representative agreed to distribute the questionnaires for us. This resulted in no responses at all. Another tenants group agreed to distribute and collect a large number of questionnaires – again we received no responses.
Coffee mornings
These were held weekly at the local church, and we were made very welcome. One or two people offered to take questionnaires to other groups for us. Almost everyone present completed a questionnaire, and because it was a regular and informal event where everyone knew each other, the questionnaire generated a lively discussion about the issues.
Under Fives Centre
The centre acts mainly as a nursery for children of working parents, therefore parents were unlikely to want to linger when dropping off and picking up children. We had a portable display explaining our work, (see PUBLICITY below), which was left in the main foyer for a week or so, along with a pile of questionnaires which parents could pick up and then return later. The Centre had a group on one day of the week where parents who did not work attended with their children, and it was decided that this would be the most beneficial day to attend. Notice was left with the display to say when our worker would be in the building to help with completing the questionnaire, or to listen to any comments from parents. There was not a good response from the working parents (just two questionnaires) despite the fact that they could return the questionnaires later, but the response from those with more time, (who were able to fill it in there and then) made it worthwhile.
Health clinics
Attending a health clinic often involves some degree of waiting, and so people are usually approachable. With this in mind local doctors' surgeries and the baby clinic were contacted.
The two doctors' surgeries were not amenable due to lack of space, but the baby clinic was and three visits were made in all. The response was excellent, with parents very keen to give their opinions on local facilities. The health visitor told us that the clinics were often busier during school holidays.
Outside local shops
We had worries that people might be in too much of a hurry to complete a questionnaire, and so had no high expectations of this. However, the response was surprisingly good, and people were very approachable and responsive. The weather was good on both occasions which probably helped. We aproached people by asking them if they had five minutes to complete a questionnaire, and by explaining where we were from, and then went straight through the questionnaire as quickly as we could.
The Post Office
We stood outside the Post Office on "benefit" day, (having previously found out which day this was from one of the staff) and found that a lot of parents picked up their children from school at lunchtime, and called in at the Post Office on their way home, which brought us a good response.
The supermarket
We chose a sunny Friday morning to stand outside a supermarket, as we felt confident we could rely on people doing weekend shopping at this time. Again, we were slightly worried that people might be in a hurry, but most people were very approachable and keen to help.
Sheltered housing schemes
There are two local authority and one private sheltered housing scheme in our area, and responses to our approach varied with each one. One residents representative said there had been too many questionnaires lately, and did not think the residents would want to be bothered with another.
We visited two other sheltered housing schemes, firstly approaching the wardens for permission and background information on how many of the residents did their own shopping, and what difficulties they faced. One of the schemes held regular residents meetings, which we were invited to attend to explain the work. Residents of one scheme said that there had been a lot of questionnaires recently with little result. Nevertheless, some were willing to complete it and did so there and then. Additional questionnaires were left for those residents who were not present at the meeting, along with the display, and collected later. The other scheme was a private sheltered housing scheme, where the residents were probably less used to being asked for their opinions. The display was left in the communal lounge area a few days before going back with the questionnaires. Some of the residents talked at length about the kinds of food they had eaten as children, and how they had grown food, as well as their own shopping and cooking habits. The overall response from these schemes was good. We left a basket of fruit at both to thank the residents.
Pubs
We had continually monitored the responses to questionnaires and found that, up to this point, we had not reached very many people in the 46-65 age group – a group less likely to be reached through anything to do with babies or children, or through elderly people's groups. It was suggested that pubs might be a good place to try.
We first approached the landlord/lady of two selected pubs to ask permission to approach their customers and the best time to do so. Late afternoon was suggested by both. These particular pubs are mainly used by local people. We received a very friendly reception, with almost everyone we approached being to talk to us. A slight drawback was that there were hardly any women in the pub at this time of day. The advantage was most of the men were in late middle age, or elderly, and many of them single, and it is hard to think of any other place where we might have reached so many members of this section of the population in so short a time. The visits turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable with a good response.
Non-English speaking sections of the community
The majority of people in the community of Miles Platting and Ancoats are white and English-speaking. There is a small community of Vietnamese families and we wanted to be sure that we reached them. We found that there was a Vietnamese link worker for North Manchester, who helped to organise meetings for the women of the community, and so we asked her advice regarding translating, etc. She very kindly offered to take the questionnaires to the group for us, and help the women to complete them. In this way, we received 10 responses, which gave us important information about the views of a section of the community that, otherwise, we probably would have missed.
Shops questionnaire:
The worker did a street by street identification of shops which were later visited with the questionnaire. Most of the shop owners were helpful, though some asked us to come back on a different day, if the owner was not present.
Events
Using events held locally by other organisations, or initiating your own, can be a good way of drawing in potential respondents:
Practical tips
If you’re doing food preparation yourself, allow yourself plenty of time for shopping for and preparing the food, as well as setting up – if you can, get the help of someone who is used to catering – they'll tell you about little things you might not otherwise think of.
Be prepared for a lot of lifting and carrying – again, get help if you can.
Offer “freebies” – give people something in return for helping you with your work.
Holding a stall as well as asking people to complete a questionnaire requires at least two people – get as much help as you can.
Be aware of food hygiene and health and safety issues when offering food.
If you are doing work in schools:
Make sure the class teacher and/or headteacher have a plan of what you are going to do, how much space you will need, and how long you expect it to take.
Try to avoid school visits on Friday afternoons, or on or after "special" days!
When offering food to children, make sure there is a bin nearby!
Ask permission from the headteacher if you plan to take photographs,
Some useful ideas and materials can be found on the website "www.grab5.com".
What we did
Public events
These provide opportunities to show a display, and approach people with questionnaires.
At one event, we offered a "design-a-sandwich" stall, which offered a variety of sandwich fillings for people to choose from (we used vegetarian fillings such as cheeses and hummus and a variety of salads, fruits and vegetables to go with them). At a Halloween event, we offered pumpkin carving to the children and provided soup and pie. Although enjoyable, the planning, shopping and setting up of events is time-consuming and can be hard work. Besides food, cutlery and crockery, napkins, and polythene gloves, you need your questionnaires and display if you have one. At one event, for us, the food preparation took a lot of attention and unfortunately, for part of the time, detracted from the aim of getting people to complete our questionnaire. However, the stall itself was a success, with some people trying foods they had not tasted before. An extra worker to do just questionnaires would have helped enormously.
Cookery classes
We were lucky to find a volunteer chef to carry out the cookery instruction. The aim of our classes was to raise awareness about the use of different types of fruit and vegetables in the diet, and how to cook them. It also turned out to be a good place to get people to complete a questionnaire - everyone present did so.
Growing meeting
During the gathering of our information we met a number of people who expressed an interest in growing some of their own food, and we wanted a way to keep in contact with them. We organised an evening meeting to which we invited people from other local successful food growing projects – an allotment scheme, a community growing scheme, and a community garden. Refreshments were provided. The turn out was disappointing (only two people, who were, nevertheless, full of ideas and very enthusiastic), probably because we chose an evening in January, and the very word “meeting” can put some people off. With hindsight, we would probably try some kind of “planting event”, a bit later in the year, and during the day, where we could mix hearing from other projects with some practical ideas and “freebies”, such as seeds, plants, bulbs, etc.
Schools
This requires a different approach, since, although the opinions of children are valuable, they usually don't make the shopping decisions, and therefore the work needs to be combined with reaching parents. Our work involved carrying out food-tasting and identifying sessions, based around fruit and vegetables, and then asking the children to take the questionnaire home to their parents, as part of the homework. This idea was met with enthusiasm by the head teachers of all the schools approached (3 primary schools), as it fitted in with the national curriculum. The lesson was carried out with only one or two classes, (mainly Year 3) but was followed up in the next school assembly, and the questionnaire distributed to all pupils in the school. As an incentive, children who returned the questionnaire were entered into a prize draw for two baskets of fruit. Despite this, the response was disappointingly poor overall.
Our method was to ask the children to write down what they had eaten the day before, and then we talked about how many children had eaten fruit and/or vegetables on that day, and the importance of fruit and vegetables in the diet. The children were divided into small groups, and took their turn at tasting, completing a fruit and vegetable quiz and a word search. After the tasting, they were asked to write down or draw which fruits or vegetables they had, or had not liked, and we talked about which fruits and vegetables were new to them, and made a graph to see which was the favourite of most children in the class.
These sessions worked well on the whole, the children seemed to enjoy them and it was lovely to be able to give them an opportunity to taste something new. In some cases this required a bit of gentle persuasion, but the majority of children did try most items, especially if recommended by their classmates. Support and feedback from the staff was very good. The only minor difficulties arose with a class visited on a very wet Friday afternoon, who were tired at the end of the week, had too much energy from being stuck indoors all day, and had been celebrating Hallowe'en the previous evening!
Another method could be to have an event at the end of the school day and get parents to fill in a questionnaire then and there whilst the children are doing activities – and give away free fruit in return.
Publicity
An essential part of your work – the more people know about you, the better
Practical tips
A portable display which is permanently ready to be used at short notice is a great time-saver.
Your display should be an extension of the consultation, not an end in itself. Ideally, be there with the display as often as you can, rather than just leaving it and expecting people to be interested.
Advertising can be expensive – use free papers, local radio stations, noticeboards, local shops and fliers. Where you can, give fliers out in person so you can talk to the recipient about what you are doing.
Remember to publicise yourself to other agencies as well as the public. If you have events, invite other workers along, who will be able to spread the word amongst their own contacts.
What we did
Display
Our display was put together in the early stages, explained our work, invited people to complete a questionnaire, and also suggested a number of solutions to the problem of lack of fresh food access. This was left in public places such as the library, health centre, under-fives centre, etc. throughout the consultation period, and was used at all the public events we attended.
Advertising
Our events were publicised with posters on our own notice boards, in all the local public buildings, as well as shop windows, local cafes, and as much local press as we could find, including radio. If time allows, leaflet the area door to door (either with volunteers or pay someone), It may also be beneficial to distribute local posters by hand (to shops, public buildings, etc), as this establishes contact, and ensures delivery in plenty of time. In the case of our Health Open Day (see below), which was held on a Saturday, we found that distributing flyers to people in the streets nearby on the day encouraged people to come in. (Again, the weather was great, which may have also had some influence).
Health Open Day
This was held on our own premises and had a dual purpose. The first was to feedback the results of our research work to local people and workers, and ask for their thoughts on solutions. The second was to offer taster sessions and healthy lifestyle information to local people. The taster sessions offered were: reiki, yoga and aromatherapy massage. A number of local workers brought stalls displaying different healthy lifestyle options. These included allotments, smoking cessation, local walking groups, dietary
advice, alcohol awareness and general health advice, as well as a puppet show on bullying, and craft activities for children. We also included our own display on food solutions, lots of free food, and a stall for children to make and taste their own fruit smoothies. The event took a lot of preparation but was rewarding, and was successful, though not in the way we had anticipated.
Although we did not draw in as many members of the public as we had hoped for, the success of the day lay in the opportunities it provided for networking. The organisations who attended made new contacts between themselves, and in our case, it raised the profile of our organisation, and made important links – in particular, with the local community midwife who was very keen to publicise our food co-op to the women who used her service, the local allotment society expressed a wish for further collaboration, and the "Walking for Health" coordinator promised to bring his groups in to meet with us, when passing by on their walks. We also made plans to organise blackberry picking walks later in the year.
Useful websites
General food related sites
www.englandinparticular.info (information on community orchards)
www.farmgarden.org.uk (Federation of City Farms and Gardens)
www.foe.co.uk (Friends of the Earth – information on "Real Food" campaign)
www.grab5.com (useful for school materials)
www.greenparty.org.uk (information on food miles and local food issues)
www.healthedtrust.com (information on SNAG – Schools Nutrition Action Group)
www.isec.org.uk (information on local food economy)
www.localfoodworks.org (information on local networks)
www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk (local demographic statistics)
www.soilassociation.org (information on organic food and farming
www.sustain.org.uk (contains Food Poverty Projects Database)
Information/advice on consultation methods
www.acre.org.uk (Action with Communities in Rural England)
www.nifonline.org.uk (Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation)
www.nacvs.org.uk (National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service)
www.womens-institute.co.uk (National Federation of Womens Institutes)
References
1 Tackling Health Inequalities – Summary of the 2002 Cross-Cutting Review, DoH))
2 Reclaiming our Future, Reclaiming our Food, Helena Norberg-Hodge, ISEC
3 www.nestle.co.uk.nutrition/articles/processed_food
Background reading
Soil Association, Local briefing paper
Localfoodworks – the benefits of developing local food links
Our Healthier Nation, HMSO, 1998
NHS Cancer Plan – a plan for investment, a plan for reform (NHS 2000)
Community Work Skills Manual
Glossary of terms
Food Access
Individuals have inadequate incomes or other resources to purchase or barter to obtain levels of appropriate foods needed to maintain consumption of an adequate diet/nutrition levels. (USAID)
Food Availability
Sufficient quantities of appropriate, necessary types of food from domestic production, commercial imports or donors are consistently available to the individuals or are within reasonable proximity to them or are within their reach. (USAID)
Food Desert
A geographical area devoid of sources of food including adequate shops selling fresh fruit and vegetables resulting in problems of food availability and food security (Chris Walsh)
Food Poverty
The inability to purchase food for a healthy diet. This may be because of low income; lack of access to reasonably priced shops; cheaper supermarkets selling a wide range of foods may be difficult to get to (because of lack of private or public transport); and inadequate knowledge about healthy eating. (www.phel.gov.uk/glossary.glossarysearch.asp)
Food Security
All people at all times have both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy lifestyle (USAID)
Food Utilisation
Food is properly used; proper food processing and storage techniques are employed; adequate knowledge of nutrition and child care techniques exists and is applied and adequate health and sanitation services exist. (USAID)
Mortality rate
Proportion of deaths in a defined population (www.phel.gov.uk/glossary.glossarysearch.asp)
Morbidity rate
The number of cases of an illness, injury or condition within a given time, usually one year. Ratio of sick persons to well persons in a defined population (www.phel.gov.uk/glossary.glossarysearch.asp)
School Breakfast Club
Nicholas Varley School, Miles Platting
The breakfast club at Nicholas Varley School has been running for nearly three years, and attracts up to 25 children per day. The idea for the club came from a parent, who is now also a classroom assistant, who had been working within the community and was concerned that a number of children were going out to school without having had breakfast, or were making do with a bag or crisps or chocolate from the shop on their way to school.
The scheme is funded by Manchester Fayre, the catering department of Manchester City Council. The price charged for the breakfasts covers the cost of the food, and also one member of catering saff. The club is run by the school cook, and a classroom assistant. Initially, the breakfast club was started for a trial period of three months and proved a success so was kept on.
As well as the pupils, members of teaching staff drop in for a drink or toast and a chat to the children, and see it as a good opportunity to build up relationships with their pupils. Most of the children who attend do so regularly, and enjoy socialising with their friends as well as the benefits of a good breakfast.
The breakfast club opens at 8.15 a.m. and breakfast is served until 8.35 a.m., with an extra ten minutes for eating. By 8.45 a.m. all the children are outside playing before beginning school at 8.55 a.m.
The standard charge for breakfast is 45p – this pays for a bowl of cereal, a slice of toast and a drink, or two slices of toast and a drink. Extra slices of toast are 11p each. Drinks on offer are tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or a cold drink of milk or fruit juice.
For further information:
Contact: School Cook, Nicholas Varley School, Miles Platting, Manchester M40
Telephone: 0161 205 1968
Community cafe and garden
Apple Tree Court, Salford
Apple Tree Court is a tower block in Salford which houses a mix of tenants. A community project to build a garden and cafe was started in 1995.
The garden was the brainchild of the then caretaker, (now administrator of the block) and local councillor, around the time that the “Right to Manage” was introduced by Salford Council, and money was raised from the National Lottery to carry out the project.
The cafe
Part of the ground floor of the block has been converted into the cafe area. There is a good sized kitchen, and a seating area, which extends into a specially built conservatory overlooking the garden.
The cafe serves traditional breakfasts, and cooked lunches such as shepherds pie and vegetables, roast dinners, vegetable pies, as well as omelettes, salads, and soup, and a variety of desserts such as fruit crumbles, sponges, and milk puddings. Fruit and vegetables are used from the garden whenever possible. Typical prices are: 80p for soup, 80p for dessert, cooked dinner £2.20.
Cooking is usually done by the administrator, a community service volunteer, and one other assistant who helps with serving. The project also has secured funding from social services to allow people with learning difficulties to use the cafe as a drop-in.
The cafe is well used by residents in the block for meals, as a meeting area, and as a function area for parties, wedding receptions, etc. There are plans to obtain a computer as a resource for residents.
The garden
The garden has been built by paid freelance workers, Groundwork Trust, and volunteers, and was previously a concrete concourse. The block now has gardens on three sides, the fourth being a car park bordered by shrubs and trees. There is high fencing with barbed wire for security, but these are gradually being covered by imaginative use of shrubs and climbers. The garden has two ponds, a wild flower area, woodland walk, two greenhouses, several seating areas, pergolas and arches. The allotment garden and community orchard help to supply the cafe and a community orchard consisting of apple, pear, cherry and plum trees, gooseberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, blackberries, raspberries, etc. Grassed over piles of rubble have been used to create landscaping effects, and recycled pallettes have been used to create decking, etc. The pond and garden are home to five ducks, and there are also frogs and newts, as well as a variety of birds.
The garden is cared for by a gardener who is paid on a freelance basis. Voluntary assistance from residents has been hard to maintain.
For further information:
Contact: Betty Burton
Telephone: 0161 743 9233
Organic Gardening Classes
(linked to food co-op and local currency scheme)
Bentley Bulk Local Food Project, Hulme, Manchester
This project aims to empower people in central Manchester to devise their own food systems. Education courses in community economics and local food issues are combined with practical training in horticultural methods and paid work experience at a local market garden, alongside a community currency system and local purchasing cooperative.
Participants attend a one-day-a-week course for 12 weeks. The first part of the morning is spent in an holistic education class which gives an overview of how a healthy local food economy works. After this, participants are driven to the market garden where they are given instruction and practical sessions in organic growing methods for the rest of the morning. In the afternoons they work in the gardens, and, in return, are paid in a local currency called Bentley Bucks with which groceries can be purchased either from the market garden directly, or via a community co-op. The community co-op uses Bentley Bucks to pre-pay for the fruit and vegetables bought from the market garden and sold to the local community. The scheme is also looking at ways to include other foods – ie using a local catering kitchen to produce biscuits, cakes and bread which can also be sold through the scheme. The project is aiming for a 2% profit which, according to the wishes of its members can either be returned to customers, or be re-invested into the scheme.
There are multiple advantages to the scheme: the market garden has money upfront to fund production, the community is developing its own local currency which can be used to purchase healthy, organic food, and local people learn about, and participate in, producing their own food. In addition, the food is cheaper than the local supermarket, and a feeling of general well being is promoted by the feeling of having some degree of control, and being in contact with the soil.
The training has been funded by the Workers Educational Association and is just coming to the end of its first 12 week run. Of the 12 participants who enrolled for the course, 7 have remained. The organisers are planning to run the course again, aiming to target people who are socially excluded.
For further information:
Contact: Rob Squires
telephone: 0161 227 8750
website: http://bb.letsystem.info
Community Gardens
Bolton Gathering of Organic Growers
This scheme involves a number of community gardening projects in deprived areas of Bolton. Most of the schemes have been on derelict land rented from the local authority, and in one case private land was rented for a time, and the money was then raised to buy it. The schemes grow fruit, vegetables and herbs, which helps to improve local people's diet at a low cost. Anyone who gives help to the projects may take what they need from the garden for themselves and their immediate family. All the projects encourage recycling of materials which helps to keep costs down as well as being environmentally beneficial.
The schemes grow a variety of vegetables, fruit and herbs, which is shared by the volunteers who work in the gardens, on the agreement that they may take enough for themselves and their immediate family. Besides growing food, the schemes have a number of other benefits. Some are linked to attracting wildlife - for example, one has a hedgehog shelter. Another has a crèche attached to it, which has helped to attract younger women, allowing them to learn new skills and make new friends, and links have also been made with with local schools to get children involved. Short courses in organic growing are held which helps to attract more volunteers for community schemes. A community composting scheme involves a fortnightly collection of garden waste which is then composted for sale to the community at a low price.
There have been some problems to overcome. One site had badly contaminated soil, which was overcome by building raised beds, removal of some of the soil, and mixing the remaining soil with imported soil and compost until contaminations were reduced to a satisfactory level on testing.
The schemes are open to anyone, and regular meetings are held to discuss important issues. Various food linked events and open days are held throughout the year.
For further information:
Contact: Bolton Wildlife Trust
Telephone: 01204 361847
COMMUNITY ORCHARD
Chorlton Water Park, South Manchester
Chorlton Water Park is situated in an urban area of South Manchester, and covers a large area, including a lake, and canalside walks.
The Community Orchard was planted about 5 years ago. The area had previously been rough meadow, and prior to that had been used as a hospital tip in the 1950s and 60s. It is now a fenced area planted with a variety of trees, many of which were planted by a local high school.
The orchard was jointly funded by the Co-operative Bank and Red Rose Forest, a local voluntary organisation promoting planting and maintenance of trees in urban areas.
When the orchard was first planned, soil samples were tested for contamination. Although there were traces of contamination in the soil these were not thought to be likely to affect the fruit, and this was confirmed by further testing of the first year's crops.
The varieties of fruit planted include apples, pears, cherries, sweet chestnut, hazel nut, cobnut, almonds, plums and damsons as well as different varieties of raspberries, blackberries, black, white and red currants, gooseberries and loganberries. The park warden have noticed an increase in bird life in the area, particularly bullfinches.
The orchard is relatively low maintenance – pruning takes place about every two years, and the grass is mown on a regular basis. Soft fruit beds are mulched to keep down weeds and feed the fruit. No sprays of any kind are used on the fruits. Although some trees were stolen soon after they were first planted, the orchard does not suffer particularly from vandalism. All maintenance work is carried out by paid workers though there are occasional events which involve people working on the area.. Last year a group of school non-attenders carried out some work in the orchard, which seemed to be beneficial to most of the group, giving them both a new interest and new skills. It is likely that this will be repeated.
The orchard is well-used and is often used as a picnic area by local people. It is not widely advertised and tends to be “discovered” by people who are using the park.
For further information:
telephone: Park Wardens on 0161 881 5639
City Farm
Heeley City Farm, Sheffield
The city farm has been open since 1981, being started from an area of waste ground, after demolition of buildings. It has animals, a cafe, garden centre, and carries out training and energy efficiency schemes.
The scheme has gradually grown to the extent that it now employs 43 people, all of whom have permanent contracts and are mainly local people.
Besides keeping animals and running a cafe, the farm runs courses in horticulture, agriculture, woodworking and crafts, catering, and English as a Second Language (ESOL). Staff believe that employing local people encourages a sense of ownership, and therefore helps to keep vandalism down. Other educational work carried out at the farm includes work with truants and unemployed school leavers who learn job related skills.
The cafe
The cafe has been open for 10 years and has 4 paid staff, who were all previously unemployed. Produce used is organic as much as possible – probably reaches about 80% in summer. The cafe has a policy of providing healthy meals – jacket potatoes, soups, salads, vegetable dishes – curry and lasagne and home made cakes. No chips are served, and this can cause a dilemma to some people who initially don't know what to order without chips, but they usually enjoy the food and keep coming back. The manager believes that the cafe is gradually helping to change local dietary habits. Fairtrade goods are also used where possible, and are also sold.
Organic gardens
The farm has its own organic garden which help to supply the cafe, and there is also a garden centre which sells bedding plants, vegetables, herbs, etc. all raised on site. The farm is currently working with similar projects in Doncaster to look at food growing on a wider scale.
The garden centre and cafe are now self-financing and the farm has recently negotiated a contract with the City Council to carry out energy efficiency in council homes – about 60,000 homes will be improved over the next three years. A city composting scheme is also run by the farm – again under contract to the City Council.
For further information:
address: Heeley City Farm, Richards Road, Sheffield S2 3DR
telephone: 0114 255 1400
website: www.heeleyfarm.org.uk
Food co-op, community cafe and related projects
The Jericho Project, Gamesley, High Peak District
The Jericho Project is a church-initiated project and serves a council estate which has few shops, the main one being a SPAR which is expensive. To access more choice, residents must take a bus ride into nearby Glossop where there is a Tesco, Co-op and Kwik Save. Many of the residents on the estate are on benefits, and tend to shop daily for food.
Food co-op
Food co-op has a rota of 4 volunteers, and deliveries vary in number – usually about 6. Produce is bought from local wholesaler and quality varies. Orders are delivered by volunteers to those who cannot carry or walk far. Attempts have been made to get local residents to run the food co-op themselves, but success on this has been short-lived, and it is currently being run from the church.
Community cafe
A thriving community cafe exists alongside the local shops, run by a paid manager and assistant manager, with the rest of the staff being volunteers. The cafe makes enough to cover the salaries, but is otherwise non-profit making. Healthy food, including jacket potatoes, salads, soups, omelettes, etc.is served, along with cooked breakfasts. Cook and eat sessions run by the dietitians are regularly held in the cafe. School holiday activities are held in the cafe, there is a book and jigsaw exchange and community noticeboard, and outside catering is available for parties, meetings, etc.
Promoting healthy eating
When the food co-op was initially set up, details were given to all relevant workers in the area, including health visitors, midwives, communityworkers, etc. Twoconferences were held around healthy eating – the first identifying objectives of what they were going to do (out of school clubs, healthy snacks, etc), and the second, held six months later, to plan further action. One of the outcomes was that the area needed a community nutrition worker but this has not been forthcoming, though a health facilitator is now in post.
The project is currently struggling to secure funding. A timebank scheme is being considered, which would involve a local currency scheme being set up, so that volunteers could be paid in that way.
Furniture project
The scheme also runs a furniture project where second hand furniture is renovated and sold at low cost to people on benefits, or free if it needs to be. A traineee scheme in upholstering, french polishing, etc. is incorporated into the scheme. Crockery, cutlery,ornaments are also available and the scheme is very popular with local residents. It is run by volunteers apart from the trainer who is a paid worker.
For further information:
Contact: Ann
telephone: 01457 868740
Box Scheme
Home Farm Deliveries, South Manchester
Home Farm Deliveries began life over 10 years ago and has come a long way from the days when it sold just one product to three customers. Set up by Mike Shaw in 1994, Home Farm now delivers across nearly all of South Manchester, supplying a whole range of organic groceries.
The business occupies two units in the IMEX Business Park in Longsight, one serving as an office, while the other contains a large refrigeration unit to store meats and fish. Fresh produce arrives on a daily basis, direct from supply ing farms and is nearly always delivered the same or the following day. Deliveries operate on four days a week – from Wednesday to Saturday – alternating between mornings and afternoons. The most important criteria for produce to fulfil is that it must be fully certified organic, but where possible, produce is also sourced as locally as possible. Vegetables from Ormskirk, Preston, other parts of Lancashire and Wales regularly fill Home Farm's bags, while others are imported from places further afield, like France.
In addition to fresh fruit and vegetables, a wide range of other organic foods are also available, from local fresh fish and meats, to juices, cereals and tinned goods, as well as ecologically-friendly household products. Most customers that use the company receive a generic bag of fresh produce on a weekly baiss, largely based on what's in season at the time. Although there is an opportunity for people to stipulate their likes and dislikes, this may in the future be abandoned (or charged for), as it tends to make deliveries much more time-consuming. Home Farm prides itself on the 'direct traceability' of the food it sells, carefully monitoring its journey from source to consumer, and is always looking for ways to continue to supply high-quality, organic produce.
For further information:
Contact: Mike Shaw
Address: Home Farm Deliveries, Studio 19, IMEX Business Park, Hamilton Road, Manchester M13 0PD
Telephone: 0161 224 8884
Website: www.homefarm.co.uk
Private cafe with a community focus
Mistys cafe, Longsight, Manchester
Mistys cafe is situated in the main shopping precinct of Longsight. It has been open since 1996, and is run as a small business, with the community in mind. The cafe serves breakfasts, lunches, sandwiches, salads, hot and cold drinks, as well as snacks and cakes. A hot meal – stew, curry, etc. costs £3.00 on weekdays, and on Sundays a vegetarian roast dinner with dessert costs £5.00. All the food is home-made apart from bread and tea-cakes, and prices are kept as low as possible. Four staff are employed who work flexible part-time hours. Decisions and management arrangements relating to the cafe are made either jointly by all staff, or by whoever is on duty at the time. Often, people who have worked there have limited experience of work, or are not sure what they want to do, and it helps them to learn new skills, such as working with people and decision making, as well as food preparation and cooking.
Phil, the owner, likes the cafe to provide a welcome for people whose lives may not have much structure, and sees it as a venue where people can meet and chat, read, and generally relax. There is a general focus on community interaction. Customers often ask staff to help them with reading or understanding letters, and ask advice about issues in their lives. There are a number of elderly women who meet with their friends there and have tea and cake, or soup and a roll, etc, as well as local workers and shoppers. The weekends tend to bring in younger customers, very often “the morning after the night before”, who are looking for a hearty breakfast, and somewhere to relax and chat for a while. Newspapers and magazines are provided, along with a wealth of literature, leaflets, posters, etc. on local events and services. Smoking is allowed in the cafe to make customers feel as welcome as possible, and not be deterred by “regulations”. Phil feels that most of the smokers in his cafe are considerate to non-smokers.
Occasionally there are musical evenings, story telling and workshops from local groups which anyone can join. Phil lets local groups use the cafe for meetings free of charge, apart from a donation for drinks, particularly those groups who may be excluded from using other local facilities because they are thought to be “too political”. There is an outside catering service for meetings, parties, conferences, festivals, open days, etc.
Phil is a committed environmental activitist, and his business reflects this. His vehicle is a bike with trailer, which he uses for catering deliveries wherever possible, otherwise trains and buses are used. If absolutely necessary, such as for weekend festivals, a vehicle is rented. As much waste as possible is recycled, with collections by a local company, and customers who do not have a recycling service at home can bring in their waste paper for a joint collection. Composting is not possible at the moment because of environmental health regulations, which would require daily collections. Containers from margarine, ice-cream, etc are re-used. Goods such as small bottles and canned drinks are not sold due to excessive packaging. Fair trade options are used wherever it is possible to do so and still be able to trade at a price not beyond the reach of local people. Organic produce is used along the same principle – dry goods such as flour, chick peas, oats are always organic. Fruit and vegetables are occasionally organic. Phil has noticed that use of organic foods engages the curiosity of people who may not have considered the issues before. As many ingredients as possible are bought locally – from the nearby market, local Asian grocers, and a health food stall. For economical reasons, bulk buying is regularly done in conjunction with other local traders.
Some local allotment holders provide surplus of their crops such as rhubarb, spinach, etc. and Phil also has family members who provide occasional supplies.
For further information:
Contact: Phil
Address: Mistys, Unit 3, Longsight Shopping Centre, 531 Stockport Road, Manchester M12 4JH
Community
Cafe and Training
Zion Centre Cafe
HARP cafe is a community cafesituated in the Zion Community Health Resource Centre in Hulme, Manchester, open since February 1994. The project is funded by the Social Fund and besides providing cheap nutritious food for the local community, acts as an NVQ training resource for people with mental health problems, providing a stepping stone for people who want to get back into work, either paid or voluntary. The cafe currently has 17 part-time trainees, who are supported by two cafe coordinators. Trainees are involved in all aspects of the cafe's work, participating in everything from menu planning and stock purchasing through to preparation and serving meals, use of an electronic till and policy development. The majority of trainees either go on to get jobs, or stay on to continue working in the HARP cafe.
The cafe itself is open from 8.30 a.m. until 3.30 p.m., and is well used, being particularly busy at lunchtimes. A variety of meals are served, including meat and vegetarian dishes, salads and sandwiches. Two main dishes are on offer at lunchtime each day, one meat, one vegetarian, along with a variety of desserts and drinks. Main meals retail at £1.30 for those on benefits, or £2.30 for those who are working. An outside catering service also provides hot and cold buffets for parties, conferences, etc.
Supplies are currenlty bought from a local wholesaler, but there are plans to purchase a large proportion of vegetables and fruit from a local fresh food co-op which will shortly be opening nearby. A recycling policy is in operation, with all compostable materials being used by the Centre's community garden, and collections arranged for aluminium cans.
The Zion Centre also provides therapies and counselling which are available to the trainees and users of the cafe.
For further information:
Contact: Sharon
Address: Zion Community Health Centre, Stretford Road, Hulme,Manchester M15 4ZY
Website: www.zioncentre.org.uk
Community Allotment
Walnut Avenue Allotment Society
Walnut Avenue Allotments is a 28 plot allotment site in Bury, which has been in operation since 1916, originally owned by Bury Metropolitan Authority, but now self-managing. The site is surrounded by houses on all four sides, making it reasonably secure.
The site has one plot as a community garden, which has a greenhouse, and will shortly have a patio, and raised beds for wheelchair users. The community garden is tended by 10 trainees who have learning difficulties, and who are referred by social services. They attend on most weekdays, and are supervised by their support worker. Other plot holders pass on spare seedlings, etc. for planting in the community garden, and the vegetables are taken home by the trainees, and also used in the cookery classes (see below).
Plots are rented out at £20 per year from the Walnut Street Allotment Society. Most have a greenhouse (owned by the Society), which commands a small extra rent. The site also houses Bury Horticultural Society which runs a shop selling gardening products, and runs local horticultural shows.
The site also provides leisure gardens which are half-size plots with new sheds and greenhouses. These are rented out to families with children to enable them to engage in gardening as a family activity, and encourage children to become involved.
When the Society originally became self-managing in 1995 the site was very run down. Funding was secured from the local Single Regeneration Budget and Pilsworth Environmental Agency for improvements to the site. A training and conference room was built, with disabled access and this is now used for society meetings, as well as a resource for local voluntary organisations and businesses. A nominal charge is made to cover expenses. A volunteer from the society also uses the room to provide First Aid classes to schools and elderly people. A computer suite with six on-line computers is used as a community resource, with training being provided by a volunteer from the society, and also provides a homework club for local school children.
Attached to the conference room is a second room which provides comfortable seating for informal meetings, along with a kitchen and dining area. Funding has recently been secured to open this up as a community cafe, which will also provide NVQ level training to students from Bury College. Currently, cookery classes are held on Saturday mornings, run by a volunteer from the site, and are well-attended by local people.
A small craft centre is currently being built, which will provide equipment and courses on woodwork for local people.
For further information:
Contact: Melvin Smart
Address: Walnut Avenue Allotment Association, 10a Walnut Avenue, Bury BL9 7QT
Telephone: 0161 797 1221 (24 hour ansafone)
Food Retailers Questionnaire
Name of shop: _______________________________ Year opened _________________
Approximately how many customers would you expect on a daily basis?
□ Less than 10 □ 11-20 □21-30 □ 31+
2. Which day(s) of the week would you regard as being the busiest?
□ Sunday
□ Monday
□ Tuesday
□ Wednesday
□ Thursday
□ Friday
□ Saturday
Approximately how many customers would you expect on your busiest day?
□ Less than 10 □ 11-20 □ 21-30 □ 31+
Which age group do you think that the majority of your customers fall into?
□ 5-10 □ 11-18 □ 19-30 □ 31-50 □ 50+
Do you think that any of the following have influenced sales in recent years?
□ Competition from other local shops and supermarkets, eg ASDA, ALDI
□ Lack of parking facilities
□ Inner city regeneration, ie people moving away from the area
□ High priced goods due to increasing supply prices
□ High crime rate
□ Other. Please specify ______________________________________
Do you sell more of food items or non-groceries such as cigarettes and newspapers?
□ Food items
□ Non-groceries
□ Equal amounts of both
Do you currently sell any fresh/frozen/tinned fruits and/or vegetables?
□ Yes (go to question 8)
□ No (go to question 12)
Do you sell any of the following products? (please tick all that apply)
Fresh fruit
□ Apples
□ Oranges
□ Bananas
□ Other (please specify)_______________________________________
Fresh vegetables
□ Potatoes
□ Carrots
□ Onions
□ Tomatoes
□ Cucumber
□ Lettuce
□ Other (please specify)
Tinned vegetables
□ Sweetcorn
□ Green beans
□ Peas
□ Tomatoes
□ Carrots
□ Mixed vegetables
□ Baked beans
□ Other (please specify)________________________________________
Frozen vegetables
□ Peas
□ Carrots
□ Sweetcorn
□ Mixed vegetables
□ Green beans
□ Other (please specify)__________________________________________
Which is your best selling grocery product?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Do you think that the fruit and vegetables sell well?
□ Yes □ No
11. If no, why do you think that they may not sell well
□ Lack of local demand
□ Not keep well
□ Only able to stock a limited choice
□ Expensive
□ Competition from other stores
□ Other (please specify) _______________________________________
Have you ever sold fruit and vegetable products in this shop?
□ Yes □ No
If yes, why did you stop selling these products?
□ Lack of demand
□ High amount of waste
□ Expensive to purchase from wholesaler
□ Other (please specify)
Do customers ever ask for fruit and vegetables to be stocked?
□ Yes □ No
14. Would you consider selling fruit and vegetable products on a trial sale to see if demand has increased?
□ Yes (go to question 16) □ No (go to question 15)
15. What might prevent you from considering this option? (please rank in order with 1 as highest consideration)
□ Lack of demand from customers
□ No place to store them
□ High amount of waste
□ Expensive to purchase from wholesaler
□ Other (please specify) _______________________________________
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If you could purchase fresh fruit and vegetables on a sale or return basis, would you be more willing to stock these products?
□ Yes
□ No
Any other comments?
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Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire