September Food Group Meeting minutes

[Sanchia Dunn]

Wed 7th September 2011, Fiveways Residents Hall

1 What is the Food Group about? What is it's aim or purpose?
Raising awareness – where food comes from, environmental impact Education – using allotments to teach people about food growing Inspiration – when simplicity of things explained, people inspired to start growing and doing Solidarity – knowing there are people in the area doing the same thing, struggling with the same obstacles Support for projects – good knowing there's a base of people to draw from when needed

2 Food box idea
A questionnaire has been prepared and is going out to schools in the coming weeks.
Waiting for feedback from this before any major decisions are made, but the main concept is a delivery of food is taken, packaged into bags, and sold or distributed from a single point (with a community bent) rather than delivering.
Emphasis is on being local food, possibly a social enterprise, but still needs to be profitable, and to compete with others (Abel&Cole were mentioned) it needs to be: Simple Reliable Easy payment system (eg weekly, low price, direct debit)
Speak to Careen Hertzog about involvement with Queens Park Community School Enterprise scheme - Miko
Speak to Costa at The Olive Tree shop and see if he wants to be involved (distribution point, possible additional business for him) - Miko

3 Use of Green Recycling Boxes
These are becoming redundant in October this year when the new Brent recycling scheme begins (using blue lidded wheelie bins). Residents will be allowed to keep them, but Brent is also promising to remove these and dispose of them if residents no longer want them. Disposal will be landfilling due to the unrecyclable nature of the material they're made from.
Clr Mark Cummins is proposing to put out a press release urging residents to hold on to the boxes and use them for container gardening. He would like to involve Transition Kensal to Kilburn to help promote the idea and also to provide guidance and advice. Miko's email will be included with release as contact number.
It was agreed that Transition Town would provide space on the website with information that Clr Cummins could provide a link to. - Michael
2-3 Food group members could provide growing advice for anyone who gets in touch: Michael, Sanchia (and Marjory) will put together some planting information. - Michael, Sanchia to arrange
Ideas proposed for planting included bulbs, herbs, letttuce, blueberries, currants, even a small fruit tree.

4 Queens Park Day
Just agenda item to remind everyone about Transition Town's stall at this event on Sunday. TT will be pressing and selling apple juice from local harvesting sessions. Everyone is invited to come along and support us or to give a hand.
Miko has created a map of all food sites which was to be used as a display at the harvest festival along with project photo's, but might be very useful at Queens Park Day to promote our sites. All images are up on the website and Chris Wells had offered support. Sanchia to get hold of Chris and see what needs to be done to complete and print stuff out for Sunday. - Miko Sanchia

5 Food group contribution to the Harvest Festival
We'll be providing the following information or activities at our stall: River of Flowers information (biodiversity through planting) Scarecrow making and Bee hotel making Produce display (see item6 below) A board display with a map of all sites plus photo's

6 Saving produce for harvest festival
Request has come from Marjory for all allotment sites to please keep back some of their produce to create a good display at the Harvest Festival in October.

7 Supply local shops and cafe's with local produce
Idea from Miko to create links between our growing sites and local businesses. One idea suggested is to grow lettuce and sell to local cafe's and shops. This is relatively simple produce to grow, fetches a good price, and shops often provide leaflet space which will help raise awareness of our group and issue of food miles.
Requires more space than we currently have in allotments, may need to be separate project. (Tiverton Green was briefly discussed)
Investigate interest from the follwing places: Olive Tree, Minkie's Deli, Kinsgate Community Centre - Miko
Mark Cummins suggested contacting Elder's Voice for gardening support. Lizzie Spring is the contact there.

8 Leaflet huts
Suggestion to place boxes at each growing site that can hold Transition Town leaflets telling people how to get involved.
Can be constructed out of timber and perspex, but may be cheaper to buy a ready-made product. Sanchia to look into suppliesr and costs. - Sanchia
Money is available within TT's budget to provide these.

9 Tiverton Green
Plant sale suggested as way to support the residents' group call to help raised funds for this. Mark Cummins explained background to project and gave idea of how much money is required from the community. He also suggested that instead of selling the plants, it may make more sense to offer to grow and provide plants for Tiverton Green.

10 Next meeting arranged for Thursday 20th October.
Sanchia to chair (& place notice on TT website), Michael to take minutes.