Community Food Growing
Community Food Growing
West Lancs Community Food Growing Project aimed to get more people involved in growing their own food and eating more healthily. We worked with local communities and schools to set up community food growing initiatives and provided help in finding the land (and funds) that might be needed.
The Community Food Growing Project finished in March 2020.
More Info
The CVS Community Food Growing project started after a study found that West Lancashire was very poorly served by the provision of allotments, with the Borough only having 2.5 plots per 1000 households against a national average of 15 plots per 1000 households. The report, commissioned by NHS Central Lancashire and carried out by the Wildlife Trust in 2009, also found that there were waiting lists in most areas and particularly for allotments in the Skelmersdale area (where there are over 100 names on the waiting list).
By working with local communities since 2009, the project helped to almost treble the existing number of allotments – from 107 to 301.
Allotment holders on newly created sites in West Lancs talk about the difference having a plot has made to their lives.
- A list of current allotment sites in West Lancs and their contact details can be found here.
- Information on the new sites that we have helped start up can be found at the foot of this page.
By the end of 2010, 18 schools in West Lancashire were provided with help to set up their own community food growing projects. The work was led by the Red Apple Community Trust, with part funding provided by the County Council’s Extended Schools Service. Each school also received training in the technicalities involved in setting up and running their project.
Since then, the Community Food Project worked with 5 schools in the most deprived areas of Skelmersdale to provide extra help in their gardening projects through our School Support Worker.
The work was extended to a further 7 schools for 2012-13.
A celebration of school growing called Show What You Grow was held each year and attracted schools from across the Borough. See reports and pictures:
The CVS Community Food Growing project publishes a quarterly newsletter.
To join the circulation list, please email Debbie.
2020: January
2018: February | May | October
2016: January | April | July | December
2015: January | April | July | October
2013: March | June | October | December
2012: March | June | September | December
2011: February | May | August | December
2010: March | May | August | November
