A new community food enterprise has started in Otterbourne near Winchester and local MP Steve Brine went along on the first day of Parliament's Summer recess.
Food Up Front is an enterprise that empowers individuals and communities to work on a healthy and fair food system is run by Winchester's Seb Mayfield.
He has created Food Up Front : Elderfield with The Water Garden Farm which will bring a former market garden back in to use, with the aim of producing fresh food & providing training & volunteering opportunities.
Elderfield, situated in Otterbourne, Winchester, consists of approximately seven acres of land and houses eight poly-tunnels of various sizes, numerous large raised beds and a field that was once used as a cricket pitch.The site is owned by the Langley House Trust, a charity that support ex-offenders or people at risk of offending, and until a few years ago operated as a market garden, growing and selling fruit and vegetables and other garden equipment to people in the surrounding area.
The aims of the project, which is now seeking to establish working group from the local community to take it forward, include;
Produce fresh food to supply businesses in the local area, thereby shortening the supply chainEngage local people by offering volunteering opportunitiesOffer training to local people , thereby increasing skills and employment prospectsWork with partner agencies to increase access to affordable, fresh food for local people.
Seb Mayfield said; ""It's great that Langley House Trust has made it possible for us to develop this enterprise at Elderfield, enabling us to provide the local area with fresh food and offer training and volunteering opportunities," says Seb Mayfield, founder of of Food Up Front: Elderfield. "I visited Elderfield in 2014 when undertaking a piece of work for the Winchester Basics Bank on creating a more just local food system. When I found out that they had land available which had previously been used for a market garden, the potential was obvious."
Steve Brine added; "The whole concept of a community food enterprise is really current and Food Up Front is really ahead of its time. I think we're very lucky to have them here and hope to see it develop through the new community led working group as well as become something the residents at Elderfield can access as part of their crucial rehabilitation back into society."
Pictured; A developing garden at the project and Steve with Seb shelting from a downpur in one of the poly-tunnels.
More information ...
Contact Seb Mayfield via seb@foodupfront.org