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How to... A Guide to Food Activities If you would like this pamphlet in a different format or in Welsh, please contact Public Health Team on 01792 784858. Contents 1. Introduction - Healthy Eating and Menu Planning - Food Miles - Feedback Sheet 2. Growing: - Growing Your Own Food - Allotments - Plant a Fruit Tree Scheme 3. Buying: - Food Co-operative - Local Produce Market - Pick Your Own - Food For Free 4. Cooking: - Healthy Cooking Activities 5. Eating: - Community Café - Eating Together - Food of the World Event

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How to... A Guide to Community Food Activities

Healthy Eating Community Café What is a Healthy Eating Community Café? A Healthy Eating Café is a social meeting place which runs on a not-for-profit basis, so any money made is ploughed back into the organisation to help it run. It is there for the benefit of the whole community, employing local people, and aims to help the local community provide themselves with healthy affordable food. Benefits ● The use of a community café provides a place to meet for an informal chat and can act as a focal point for the community; ● Healthy food choices; ● Local employment; ● Can address environmental issues - Growing, Composting, Recycling; ● Can raise ‘Fair Trade’ issues; ● Possible renovation of a local building, thus having a visual impact on the area. How do you set up a Community Café? First Steps ● Needs a group of committed local people and it is helpful to have a range of skills and knowledge within the group to guide your work. Organisations like Communities Mean Business and Coop Centre are helpful to guide you through the process. - Contact Communities Mean Business (Tel: 01792 545050) and the Wales Coop Centre (Tel: 02920 556170). ● You need to find out if people want a community café and whether they would use it, by asking a wide variety of people in the area. Do this by checking out ideas with local groups and individual contacts. Take into consideration what competition there is, e.g. other cafés, serving food/teas/coffees etc. This can also be useful for sourcing a local supplier; ● Develop a vision of what the community wants to see;

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● Identify a building and start discussions with owners. It needs to be accessible and well located. Apart from the kitchen you will need a reasonably large room, which will be welcoming with comfortable chairs and tables, plus appropriate toilet facilities. - The Legal Section of the Council will be involved if the building is to be leased from the Council (Tel: 01792 636000 and ask for the Legal Section).

Be aware that setting up a community café can be a long process. It is useful to link with any Development Workers in the area and use their knowledge, skills and networks. The Local Council may be helpful in this process and in particular the following Departments: - Environmental Health - for information/advice/guidance on setting up a kitchen and requirements for serving food to the public - Planning -for advice on planning consent/change of use for buildings - Regeneration for community development support and advice - Technical Services - technical building regulations/architectural advice especially for property under the ownership of the Council - Contact the City & County of Swansea and ask for the Department you want, Tel: 01792 636000

● You will need to become a fully constituted group if you want to get grant aid. Seek the support of your local Development Worker (if you have one) to help with this. If you are not sure about any Development Worker covering your area, check with the Regeneration Department of the City & County of Swansea (Tel: 01792 635238), or your local Development Trust. Alternatively contact Swansea Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS), who have a lot of experience in helping groups decide on the type of organisation they need to be and in developing appropriate structures. Tel: 01792 544000 ● Start early on looking for funding: - refer to the funding booklet ‘£ind: £unding for Initiatives on Nutrition and Diet’ available through Food Standards Agency. Tel: 02920 678999 - www.food.gov.uk - contact Swansea Council for Voluntary Services who run a system called Fund Finder. Tel: 01792 544000 ● Draw up plans. It is helpful to work with the local council who may offer the support of in-house Architects. However, be aware that you will have to pay for this service. The Java Bean Café Steering Group used £2,500 to develop working drawings. Apply for planning permission if necessary. ● If you are converting a building you will have to employ a builder to carry out the conversion work. You will need a contract for building conversion.

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You’re finally getting there! The Next Steps ● Equipment - Go for best quality catering standard equipment. The costs will be part of your ‘Capital’ costs. Check out websites and catering magazines for catering supplies. Auctions can be a useful source for kitchen equipment, but you will not get guarantees with this method of purchasing. Some essential items are: - Heavy duty cooker, wall based emersion heater for boiling water (much easier than an urn), storage facilities, coffee machine, soup cauldron (or two), catering sized sticks/wands for making soups, griddle machine, large catering pans, crockery and cutlery, salt and pepper sets. ● Furnishing of café area. Visit established cafes to get ideas. Write down ideas as you go along in a scrap book. In terms of the kitchen layout, contact the Environmental Health Department as they will give you good advice on how best to plan this space. They will also advise on pest control and hygiene. The Swansea Public Health Team, Tel: 01792 784858, may be able to support with leaflets/posters/advice on healthy eating; ● Staffing - carefully assess how many paid and voluntary staff you will need. This will depend on hours of opening/number of days. - This will be a major “Revenue” cost; - Criminal Records Bureau checks may be needed. Check with SCVS; - If you are employing staff you will need extra funding to cover sickness of staff/holiday cover; - Training - Ensure your staff have appropriate training. Contact Environmental Health Dept, SCVS and Colleges. Food Safety training and First Aid are essential; - Environmental Health Dept 01792 635600, SCVS Tel: 01792 544000, Swansea College Tel: 01792 284000 and ask for Community Operations Coordinator, College Tel: 01792 890700 and Neath College Tel: 01639 648000. ● You will need to develop Policies - Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, No Smoking. Your Development Worker/SCVS can help with this.

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You’re nearly there! The Final Steps! ● Take into consideration Pricing/Ordering/Suppliers. Check out local competition and your chef may have a good idea on costing and quantities for ordering. Start off small and expand gradually! Communities Mean Business may be able to advise you (Tel: 01792 545050). The Wales Coop Centre may also be helpful (Tel: 02920 554955); ● It is useful to have an allotment associated with the Café, supplying fresh fruit/vegetables/ herbs, and recycling waste; ● Some cafes work alongside other facilities eg crèche, training centre. This can help to generate customers on a regular basis, as well as catching passing trade; ● Menu planning - your staff should be able to develop menus ensuring healthy eating is the priority. Taster sessions before trying out a new menu can be useful. Offer plenty of variety for vegetarians and meat eaters. Use the Balance of Good Health Model as a guide and the principle of 5 A Day. See Introductory Section on Healthy Eating and Menu Planning. Examples of Community Cafes ● Java Bean, Glynneath. Tel: 01639 721772; ● Paradise Café, Connect project. Tel: 01792 465383 (for vulnerable adults with various support needs) (Need to be a member to access); ● Owl & Parrot Café, Cyrenians Community Centre Tel: 01792 470127; ● ARC Café, Blaenymaes ( working towards being a healthy eating café) 01792 578632; ● Red Café, (for young people) Tel: 01792 362122. A Little Food For Thought! Don’t be put off, but remember... ● Expect the process to take a long time, but hold onto your vision; ● It takes longer than you may think to become self sufficient, so you may need outside funding for quite a long time. But don’t let that put you off - the funding is there to support you through the initial stages.

(Thanks to the Java Bean Café for much of the information contained in this section)

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Eating Together In this section we have looked at three types of ‘eating together’ activities: Luncheon Clubs, Hosting An Older Peoples’ Dinner and Family Lunches. Luncheon Clubs What is Luncheon Club? A Luncheon Club offers the opportunity for people to come together in a social atmosphere to share lunch. They provide the opportunity to have a nourishing, wholesome, home-cooked meal. They are often aimed at older residents in the area but can be for any age group, depending on local demand. Luncheon clubs are not-for-profit organisations. What are the benefits? ● An opportunity to make friends; ● A chance for people to become involved in the community; ● A chance to share skills and learn new ones; ● Stops people feeling isolated; ● Encourages active citizenship; ● Fun for all involved - volunteers and customers. How to set up a Luncheon Club? First Steps - Is there a need? Before starting on the process of setting up a club, there is a need to make sure of the demand. Have people expressed an interest in it? Why not do a simple questionnaire to research the demand? There may be a need to go door knocking (you will need some form of I.D for this and it is advisable to inform the police), and link with other organisations, sheltered housing complexes etc. Staffing - Volunteers, Training Volunteers - Useful link www.volunteering.org.uk Volunteers are your most valuable resource. Therefore, once you have attracted them to your group, it is important to value them as you would a paid member of staff, i.e. by offering support, supervision, and training opportunities.

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To maintain a volunteer’s enthusiasm and commitment, you should make sure you share out the workload. It is good to have more than one team of volunteers. How many depends on the number of luncheon clubs you aim to hold in a week. Luncheon Clubs often operate on one day per week.

One example would be to have four teams of volunteers, each with three or four team members. In this case, each team would work just once a month.

Training - Health and Safety and Hygiene Before you start a Luncheon Club it is advisable to contact the Environmental Health Department at the City & County of Swansea to get appropriate advice. They are very helpful and want to see you succeed. www.swansea.gov.uk - Tel: 01792 635600. It is recommended to have a signing in book for fire safety purposes, so you are always aware of who is in the building. Venue Think about Location, Accessibility, Size. SCVS will be able to give you advice on insurance: 7 Walter Road Swansea SA1 5NF. Tel: 01792 544000 Things to think about: ● ensure your venue is suitable for the type of customers you are going to attract; ● a good size kitchen, preferably fitted out for catering; ● a large room for the dining area with plenty of tables and chairs; ● close to a bus stop is helpful, particularly for elderly residents; ● wheelchair accessible; ● appropriate toilet facilities; ● public liability insurance. Funding You will need to open a bank account specifically for your luncheon club. To do this you will need to be a constituted group. Then you can apply for grant aid. Contact Swansea Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) or your local Development Worker who will be able to help you with the constitution. They can also help you with funding - SCVS runs a Fundfinder computer programme. www.scvs.org.uk or Tel: 01792 544000. Also check out the ‘£ind £unding for Initiatives on Nutrition and Diet’ booklet, available from Food Standards Agency Wales, Tel: 02920 678999. www.food.gov.uk

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Equipment Needs Go for best quality catering equipment. Check out websites and catering magazines for catering supplies. Auctions can be a useful source for kitchen equipment (but if you buy at them the equipment may not be guaranteed). Some essential items are: Heavy duty cooker, wall based immersion heater for boiling water (much easier than an urn), storage facilities, fridge, coffee machine, soup cauldron (or two), catering sized sticks/wands for making soups, griddle machine, large catering pans, crockery and cutlery, salt and pepper sets. Some equipment can be acquired through local catering organisations, so it is worth checking in your local directories. Also you can often find reasonably priced items in local superstores. Final Steps Tasks you will need to do when up and running. There will be a range of tasks involved in running the club: ● Deciding on menus; ● Ordering/purchasing food; ● Laying tables; ● Welcoming customers; ● Money collection; ● Waitressing; ● Preparing meat/vegetables; ● Cooking; ● Clearing up; ● Washing up. Menu Setting Try to keep to a simple menu, so that you are not increasing your costs by purchasing lots of different foods. But do remember that you may be catering for people with different dietary needs.

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Charges Although luncheon clubs are generally not for profit organisations, they do need to raise enough income by charging for the meal. This is to cover their running costs, with enough surplus to ensure that they can keep going (sustainability). Remember to keep charges reasonable and affordable, but don’t forget that people are prepared to pay for quality. ● Promotion - Attracting members and keeping your group going. Good promotion will ensure a good response. Generally, word of mouth is a great means of promoting your club. However, do display posters, and try contacting existing groups, such as sheltered accommodation, residential homes, (if your luncheon club is aimed at older people), community centre groups etc. Be aware of what’s going on in your community - tie in with other activities and events to publicise your club. Theme days can also be a way of attracting new people in e.g. St David’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, religious festivals, International cuisine days - whatever theme you want to work on, just be creative! It is also a good idea that you keep records of the number of users of your club; the numbers you have to turn away; the number of volunteers involved etc. This will give you evidence of need, should you want to apply for further funding.

Examples of Luncheon Clubs TOPIC House, 56, Teilo Crescent, Mayhill, Swansea, SA1 6SX. Tel: 01792 642237 Bonymaen Luncheon Club, Bonymaen Community Centre, Bonymaen Road, Bonymaen, Swansea Tel: 01792 462322 Penlan Luncheon Club, South Penlan Community Centre, Heol Frank, Penlan. For details contact 01792 584860 Age Concern, Pagefield House, Page St, Swansea. Tel: 01792 648866 - www.ageconcern.org.uk Local projects usually welcome visitors, but make sure you arrange visits in advance.

(Thanks to TOPIC House, Townhill, Swansea for much of the information used to compile this section)

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Hosting an Older Peoples’ Dinner What is an Older Peoples’ Dinner? This is an event which brings local people together to share a good healthy meal. Usually suitable entertainment is provided to give a good atmosphere. What are the benefits? ● social event/interaction with peer group; ● helps to avoid social isolation; ● building confidence in older people; ● fun; ● hard work but satisfying for organisers; ● possible opportunity for young people to volunteer. How to set up an Older People’s Dinner? Is there a need? ● Contact local older people to see how many are interested; ● Knock on doors and take names (If you are not known you should have some form if ID and notify the Police that you are conducting a survey); ● Local knowledge is important so contact senior citizens’ club; ● Volunteers should be Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checked; ● While waiting for a Criminal Records Check to come through, always work with someone who has been checked. SCVS can advise - Tel: 01792 544000. Staffing/Volunteers You will need a group of willing volunteers to coordinate the activity. This may be a chance to involve local young people as volunteers in your activity. Contact local youth workers, or find out if there are local workers. ● Canoldre Centre, Tel: 01792 450830. Venue Cost and book venue - things to consider include: ● disabled friendly/accessible; ● risk assessment/insurance; ● is the space suitable with appropriate furniture - possible venues would be community halls, school halls, social centre halls.

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Caterer Cost and book caterers - e.g. Xmas dinner - 3 courses, coffee, mince pies. Check if your venue has a resident chef. If you intend having alcohol you may need a licence - check first whether your venue has a licence, or it may be possible to get an occasional licence - information from the Environment Dept at the Guildhall, Swansea, Tel: 01792 635600. A local public house may be interested in running a bar for you. Alternatively the cost of wine can be included in the price, or people can bring their own. Entertainment Cost and book entertainment - e.g. Cabaret act. Artists can be booked through agencies - check local directories. Transport Cost and book transport - Ensure cover for people with disabilities: ● Community Transport Schemes - check with SCVS Tel: 01792 544000; ● Local taxi firms can be very helpful & will often do block booking. Organise pick up points for transport. Funding Keep account of all costs - Apply for funding if you need it (check with SCVS Tel: 544000) You will need to do this well in advance of the date of your event as decisions on applications can take some time. Keeping in touch with your customers Return to those who are interested with details. Take names and arrange to collect payment - payment may need to be collected over a period of weeks/months. Print tickets You will need these to be available close to event date. Consider Promotion - local businesses may be interested in sponsoring the ticket costs in return for advertising. Purchase refreshments for the dinner This will be necessary if you haven’t got a separate bar. Final arrangements Arrange and decorate tables at the venue to ensure good access for all. Duration of event - an example would be arrive at 7pm, for dinner to be served at 7.30pm, 11pm event finishes. Example Graigfelen Residents In Action - 01792 844067. (Thanks to Graigfelen Residents In Action for the information in this section)

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Family Lunches What are family lunches? Family lunches help to encourage families to eat together to build some of the basic skills about behaviour at meal times. These are opportunities for families to eat healthy meals together in a fun and friendly atmosphere. What are the benefits? ● Helps parents to teach their children basic table manners; ● Encourage families to try different foods and to eat healthily. How to set up a family lunch? This is usually set up in a family centre but can also work with parents and toddlers groups that meet regularly. Steps to take: ● Find families/groups who are interested; ● A person who has been trained in food hygiene and has basic knowledge about planning healthy meals can help make food for the group; ● Group size tends to vary (5 to 20 adults and children); ● Essential equipment: - seating to cater for everyone in the group; - kitchen with utensils to prepare the meals; - cutlery and crockery. ● Each adult pays a fee of £1 to get a meal. Remember that you may have to be very creative with the menu taking into account special offers; ● Useful to have the recipe of what has been made and also how much it cost, as this can encourage people to try to make the meal at home. Examples of family lunches Penplas Family Centre - 01792 588487 Parent & Toddlers Group, St Samlet Church, (Eastside Family Support Project) - Tel: 01792 644106 Surestart may know of others in your area Tel: 01792 895940 Plasmarl Community Centre - Tel: 01792 791639

(Thanks to Penplas Family Centre for the information in this section)

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Food of the World Event What is a Food of the World Event? A food of the world event provides the opportunity for people to celebrate the diversity of cultures within a community through food. People have a chance to come together socially to taste and enjoy healthy traditional foods whilst learning about different cultures. What are the benefits? ● Increase variety in the diet; ● Learn about and celebrate different cultures; ● Give the community a chance to meet together; ● Learn about a variety of healthy, tasty and reasonably priced meals; ● Recipes to take home. How to set up a Food of the World Event It is important to have a committed group of volunteers, as well as support from local development workers/agencies if possible. It may even be possible to run such an event in partnership with your local school. Venue ● It is important that the chosen venue is suitable for the type of event you are planning i.e. suitable for cooking in, plug sockets at regular intervals, fire escapes; ● It is essential for the venue to have at least one kitchen; ● A large hall where people can sit and enjoy the food - community centres are often a good choice if available; ● It is also important to consider disabled access.

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Menu’s It is good to reflect the different ethnic groups within your community, and encourage local people to be involved in presenting food from their own culture, as well as bringing in other cultures. Example Menus: ● Africa; ● Asia; ● Wales; ● Mediterranean; ● Canada; ● Central America. Other Menu Suggestions: ● Fruit kebabs; ● Fresh fruit smoothies. Recipes cards can be handed out for people to take with them and have a go at cooking something new at home. Useful links: ● Swansea Bay Race Equality Council, Tel: 01792 457035; ● Minority Ethnic Women’s Network Swansea MEWN Tel: 01792 467722; ● Swansea Bay Asylum Seekers Support Group, c/o The Retreat, 2 Humphrey St, Swansea. Email: [email protected] [email protected] - www.hafan.org. Publicity To ensure that you attract plenty of local people, a colourful poster and flyers should be drawn up and distributed as widely as possible through schools, community centres, community groups, local shops, library, doctors surgeries etc. Holding a competition for a poster/flier through schools can be a good way of getting people involved. Time It is important to consider the best time to hold the event so the most people can attend. Risk Assessment It is important that a risk assessment is carried out prior to the event going ahead. SCVS can guide you on requirements for risk assessment, Tel: 01792 544000, and the Food Safety Section of the Environment Department will give you good guidance on requirements, Tel: 01792 635600. Also check to make sure that people cooking food have got food hygiene certificates. Display Boards/Music It is also good to have boards displaying information about the various cultures and food displays. Music from the various cultures can help make a great atmosphere.

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If you are interested in other food activities, why not check out the other booklets: