Health and wellbeing
Community organisations to lead innovative projects for improved food access and choices
Published on
A number of community-based organisations are set to deliver activities as part of a programme to promote and support good food choices and improved access to food.
The Feeding Our Futures Small Grants Programme is funding 17 voluntary and community sector organisations in Walsall to deliver a range of innovative projects and activities. These initiatives are designed to enhance access to good quality food and support better food choices.
The funded projects will encompass a diverse array of activities focused on food security, education, and community wellbeing. These include cooking, growing, and nutrition workshops; the development of budget-friendly recipe books; life skills training for independent living; and after-school clubs.
Additional initiatives include community meals, food literacy programmes for families, and support for female refugees. Food festivals, sustainable community fridges, and the distribution of food boxes will also contribute to building a more resilient and inclusive local food system.
The programme has been delivered as a partnership between Walsall Council Public Health and the Voluntary and Community Sector Locality Hub (Leads). The work will be overseen by Walsall’s new Food Partnership along with a range of other projects and initiatives designed to enhance the food environment in Walsall.
Good food is essential to live healthy and well. Food should be tasty, healthy and affordable, as well as good for nature, workers, businesses and animal welfare. A good food environment includes making food available, affordable, convenient, of good quality and sustainable.
The Director of Public Health Annual Report 2022 on Feeding our Future included recommendations for voluntary and community sector organisations to work together and share resources to support residents with cooking skills and promote opportunities to grow food, increasing community cohesion. Food is also one of four themes in the recent Director of Public Health 2024 Annual Report.
“ I am delighted that we are supporting our voluntary and community sector to deliver exciting food projects across the borough.
Our communities are well placed to understand and respond to the needs of our residents, especially when it comes to improving and maintaining health and wellbeing.
My recent annual report highlighted the importance of supporting people to live better lives, which includes ensuring access to nutritious, affordable food and providing the right advice. I look forward to seeing how these projects build on the progress already made and bring the report’s recommendations to life. “
- The Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Locality Hub Leads have managed the allocation of the Feeding our Futures Small Grants programme. These are Bloxwich Community Partnership, Nash Dom Community Hub, Manor Farm Community Association and Old Hall Peoples Partnership. Find out more on the Walsall Council website.
- The Walsall Food Partnership is built of stakeholders from across the food system, who share the vision for a healthier, inclusive and sustainable food future. The partnership involves:
- Sharing knowledge and good practice to drive enterprise and innovation.
- Coordinating action across the food system, connecting stakeholders and collaborating to empower the community.
- Delivering local food projects across our communities to help make good food an option for all.
- Advocating for Walsall residents through influencing local food policies, action plans and decision-making.
- Food for Life Walsall (led by the Soil Association) has been working with local authorities across the country for over 10 years, supporting schools, nurseries, caterers and communities to embed a good food culture within their settings and beyond. The Walsall programme (funded by Walsall Council Public Health) has been running since 2017 and have recently been delivering the Children and Families Healthy Eating programme.
- The full Director of Public Health Annual Reports from 2022 and 2024 can be found on the Walsall Intelligence website.
