• Research - we have a student from the University of Manchester who would like to interview some community leaders on the barriers to residents accessing community food education courses.

• Access to cooking equipment - Freecycle is a place where people can request or give away free household items Freecycle: Stockport Group

  Cracking Good Food - Their Kitchen Call Out, collects and redistributes lots of cooking equipment for free Kitchen Kit Call Out - Cracking Good Food

• Workshop - had a workshop on 18th April 2024, with a mix of people who have delivered community food education. We discussed what works, barriers/challenges, incentives and who is providing courses. Some courses had been really successful but others has seen a drop in attendance.

• Map kitchens - the Sector 3 website hosts a database on community venues which specifies whether there is kitchen facilities. Many venues only have 1 smaller kitchen, so it would be suitable for cooking demonstrations or making use of table top hobs Stockport Community Venues Database - Google Sheets

• Advertise - organisations looking to deliver a community food education course could make use of Stockport Council's 'What's On in Stockport' page to advertise courses. There is a 'Food and Drink' category which could be the most relevant. Food and drink - Stockport Council

• Best Practice - groups have found that hosting education sessions within their existing provision works better for maintaining attendance and reaching the right audience.

Resources -

• Cook and Share Toolkit | Food for Life

• Rethink Food – Food Education

• Free education resources for teaching young people aged 3-16 years about where food comes from, cooking and healthy eating, and teacher training. - Food A Fact Of Life

• NEXT MEETING - John from Sector 3 is hosting a meeting for anyone in the Food Network to discuss new priorities and ways of working. On Wednesday 14th May, please email him for an invite or info John Clarke <john.clarke@sector3sk.org>

• Anti-poverty work in Stockport - there is a broader piece of working going on looking at all the factors within poverty including school uniform recycling, cost of living helpline and household support fund. Tackling food poverty is very much about maximising income and access to funds, as well as food. https://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=229310

• Contact Food Network - There is a WhatsApp group you can join to engage with other groups working on food insecurity.

• Mayor's Charity 2024 - 2025 - The network has been announced as the Stockport Mayor's Charity, this means lots more fundraising.

• Social media - help raise the profile of the network. Facebook

• Greater Manchester Environment Fund - opening in 22nd April 2025 Renew Community Fund | Greater Manchester Environment Fund

• Redistributing food waste through apps:

Olio - Your Local Sharing App (olioapp.com)

Too Good To Go | Save Good Food From Going To Waste – Too Good To Go

Neighbourly - where businesses help local good causes | Neighbourly

Home  | Caboodle (thecaboodle.co.uk)

• Catering Surplus - FareShare GM have met with some of the Partnership to discuss redistributing the catering food items they are receiving in donations. If you would like to receive catering food surplus contact: Karina Tiplady <membership@emergemanchester.co.uk>

• Workshop - there was a workshop on 23rd April 2024 to look at what works for businesses in terms of food waste, the experience of charities and communities receiving food from businesses. We discussed the various avenues for distribution of excess food.

• Business networks - we may contact business networks to speak to businesses about their food waste practices. There is a Climate Action Business Forum who have been discussing sustainability, to access this Get involved with climate action - Stockport Council

• Guardians of the grub training - helps businesses save costs on food waste Rise up against food waste • Guardians of Grub

• Greater Manchester 5-Year Environment Plan - page 17 aligns with many of our food waste goals https://gmgreencity.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/5_year_plan_exec_summ-v4.pdf

• Successful in becoming a Sustainable Food Place​ https://www.onestockport.co.uk/2024/07/stockport-joins-sustainable-food-network-uks-biggest-growing-movement-for-food-systems-change/

• Recruiting our first Food Coordinator post to support further development who will work in Re:dish

• Steering group meetings

• Working to support a Greater Manchester Food Partnership

• Charlee Fitzgerald - SMBC - Healthy Communities 

• Julie Nelson-Hall  - Stockport Homes - Your Local Pantry  

• Russ Boaler - SMBC - Physical Activity & Healthy Weight   

• Don Phillips - Chelwood Foodbank Plus  

• David Nicholson - Nornir Social Enterprise 

• Aba Graham - Stockport Race Equality Partnership  

• Lynn Brandwood - Re:dish  

• Laura Graham and Caroline Woolley - SMBC - Social Value

• Katie Merrick - Project and Policy Manager – Population Health, NHS Greater Manchester  

Here is a map of current growing spaces including allotments, orchards and community gardens https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1IvkVIR65q_Xm37-HyeGckJnU-9T3Qtc&ll=53.40472541043127%2C-2.1297251625253466&z=12