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How do I connect with a local allotment site?

No worries, we at Bountiful Bristol will take care of that side of business. All we need from you is the best days for delivery of donations and what kinds of donations you are looking for. Contact Rachel or Reuben at bountifulbris@gmail.com for more info about setting up a donation link and we will sort the rest!

I’m worried that we will receive gluts of the same produce all at one.

Unfortunately this is an inevitability when relying on seasonally grown food. However it is unlikely that you will receive tons of produce since the process is reliant on volunteers growing what they can in often small allotment spaces. Moreover, we encourage you to be as communicative as you are able to in deciding what donations your organisation needs. We and the allotment holders too understand the need for flexibility and diversity of donations.

How much can my organisation rely on these donations?

As said above, donations are reliant on volunteers growing a little extra in order to support their community (what we call intentional growing). This means that there will be fluctuations in the quantity and nature of the donations given. To a certain extent the donations are a symbol of community solidarity and connection. We hope that some service users will engage with the local food donated and be able to see where their food came from. We argue also that all in the city should have access to locally grown food and to local green spaces. The second part of Bountiful Bristol’s mission does exactly this. Bountiful Bristol’s Growing Together organises for service users and people who might not have the chance or financial means to access allotment spaces, the opportunity to grow the food they eat, eat good fresh food and enjoy the green spaces in their local communities!

If your organisation is interested in any aspect of Bountiful Bristol, please contact the team on bountifulbris@gmail.com . We look forward to hearing from you soon!

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What is enough for a donation?

Any amount! Every donation helps.

What if other people on my site are not engaged?

You can be the first, the trailblazer! If you need any support trying to set a link between your allotment and a food support service up then please get in contact at bountifulbris@gmail.com

How do I find a food support service near me?

You don’t have to. That is why we are here! It is Bountiful Bristol’s job to establish a link between your allotment and a food support service.

Do food projects take any anything or do they need specific fruit/veg?

This depends on the specific support service your allotment supplies. If there are any requirements requested by the support service then Bountiful Bristol will make that known to you and your allotment growers. There is a likelihood with seasonal gluts of certain fruit and veg that there will be just too much of a good thing at one time.

How do I record my donations?

To record your donation please use the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18ThC0zvskki_sUSW3VrUJWl_km4bu7B77-jWZn_xFiA/edit

What if I can’t donate every week?

No stress. Firstly, you are doing a great job and ultimately it is up to you when you decide to donate. Whenever and whatever you are able to donate from your hard-earned produce, it will be gratefully received. Secondly, we hope you will not be the only allotment grower donating from your site so if you don’t have the time or produce to donate one week, another grower will.

I work full time how do I get the donation to the food service?

It’s our aim to have all donation boxes in easily accessible places for allotment growers. If you are on your allotment it should be an easy action to make to place your donation in the provided donation box.

When do donations usually start and run until?

This depends on your allotment site and what you are growing. Donations are needed year round and some lucky places have polytunnels to extend the growing season or fruit trees and winter or autumn loving crops. Saying that, the expectation is that most donations will be given between May and September.

How do I get the posters/boxes?

If you are an allotment grower interested in rallying support for you local community then please reach out to bountifulbris@gmail.com where we can sort you out with posters, donation boxes, delivery drivers and a local food support service for your allotment to support. Alternatively there are posters available on our Find & Connect page in the section labelled Resources. See https://padlet.com/bountifulbris/bountiful-bristol-find-and-connect-n38fabvvviwcaz0z

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If you would like to get involved with the project we would love to hear from you.

We can provide posters, boxes and leaflets alongside general support, problem solving and encouragement!

Here is a bit about how to set up a Bountiful donation box at your site:

Speak with site rep to let them know about the Bountiful Bristol project

Choose a visible site to put a box for collection (any box will do!) and the poster

Communicate to tenants about the project via any whats app or facebook groups or email!

Let people know when collections will start (to begin with you can just say 'coming soon!)

Remind people about the collections and thank people for donations

Take photos of what has been donated so we can collect data on what we have achieved!

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For 2025, we are focusing on developing resources and methods that will make it easier for growers and community food projects to find each other and build long lasting relationships.

We also intend to continue to encourage people to intentionally grow to share ‘grow it forward’ alongside sharing any excess produce they have.

Part of this work is about holding spaces that invite people back into connection to people and planet, back into community, so they can then go forth with responses (such as growing and sharing food) that make a real difference.

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Bountiful Bristol is about enabling what is already there to flourish. Bristol is abundant with allotments, growers and community food projects. We seek to build relationships and partnerships, igniting connections, so that growing and sharing food in community is ingrained in our culture.

We serve as an umbrella for self organising and are exploring new ways of how to do this through the creation of resources that make building networks easier.

Perhaps you have food, skills, learning or inspiration to offer: If you think you could help us on our journey, please get in touch!

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A Bountiful Model for Growing and Sharing

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A Bountiful Model for Growing and Sharing

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🥕🌱We’re connecting growers with community food projects in Bristol to increase access to local & nutritious food🌱🥕

The Bountiful Bristol model has three phases:

1. Holding Actions: Re-distribution of surplus

2. Grow it Forward: Intentional growing to share

3. Growing Together: Wider community access to growing spaces

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Bountiful Bristol has been running for 3 years connecting allotment sites with community food distribution points.

Since 2022, we estimate that people within out networks have grown and shared around 4000kg of local food. Moving forward we are not going to focus on trying to count how much food has been shared but instead focus on the quality and length of relationships build between growers and community food projects.

We aim to reduce:

● food waste

● food miles

● carbon emissions

and increase:

● access to nutritious and affordable food

● health and wellbeing of communities

● access to space to grow food and connect with nature

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We want to be part of achieving these three things in our neighbourhoods

1. Enough to eat

2. Clean air

3. Health and Wellbeing

8.1% of households in Bristol suffered from moderate to severe food poverty in the years 2022-23, that is 1 in 12 households. Global food miles account for nearly 20% of total food system emissions. 800 people a year in Bristol die from air pollution. We have waiting lists across the city for access to growing space and we know green spaces are essential for wellbeing.