Growing Lambeth Action Research Report 1 Contents Contents ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 3 Context ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Growing Lambeth aims ................................................................................................................ 6 Growing Lambeth key players ...................................................................................................... 6 Incredible Edible Lambeth ................................................................................................. 6 Lambeth Council ................................................................................................................ 7 Food growing hubs and Food growers resource hub ......................................................... 7 Growing Lambeth project team – Groundwork London .................................................... 7 The Growing Lambeth Model ...................................................................................................... 8 Communities of practice .................................................................................................... 8 Hubs model ........................................................................................................................ 8 Growing Lambeth project timeline ............................................................................................ 10 Action Research Report ........................................................................................................................ 11 Action Research Methodology ................................................................................................... 11 Findings ...................................................................................................................................... 11 The Hub Network – building connections between local Food growers .................................... 13 Developing the strategic capacity oF the hub network .................................................... 13 Hubs Facilitating local groups ........................................................................................... 14 Developing access to shared resources ........................................................................... 15 Incredible Edible Lambeth – better Food in Lambeth and beyond ............................................ 17 Incredible Edible Lambeth as a strategic player .............................................................. 17 Incredible Edible Lambeth as a strategic co-ordinator .................................................... 19 Incredible Edible Lambeth as a sustainable organisation ................................................ 19 Managing the Project ................................................................................................................. 27 Financial summary ............................................................................................................................... 28 Conclusions: ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Testing the Hub model ............................................................................................................... 30 Clapham Common food growers resource hub ......................................................................... 31 IEL strategy ................................................................................................................................. 31 Next steps .................................................................................................................................. 32 IEL .................................................................................................................................... 32 Hubs ................................................................................................................................. 33 Food events Calendar ................................................................................................................ 34 Hub Training Calendar ............................................................................................................... 35 Brixton Bugle Clippings .............................................................................................................. 37 Growing Lambeth project engagement data ............................................................................. 40 Love Your Roots Innovation project evaluations Healing Gardens and U:LAB Grow your own Leader ................................................................. 40 2 Executive Summary Lambeth has a thriving Food growing scene with • Distribute Funding to Lambeth Food a huge variety oF local community groups growing groups growing Food For their local area. There is also a • Secure capital Funding to develop Future unique statutory and commissioning culture hub development with innovative approaches to commissioning • Develop access to Food growing space across through Southwark and Lambeth Integrated public and statutory authorities (including Care as well as Lambeth being a Greater London park areas, green spaces at housing Authority (GLA) Food Flagship Borough. Whilst providers/registered social landlords these conditions create many opportunities for • Develop access to Free/low cost resources local grass roots organisations, there are still a across the borough through the support lot oF challenges For smaller groups to and development oF the growing hubs overcome. The changing Funding landscape and • Disseminate an action research report to growing needs oF the local community have evaluate the movement in Lambeth meant that many organisations have to do more with less. The Growing Lambeth Action Research Report is a reFlection oF the 30 month Growing In response to these growing challenges Lambeth project. The report provides a Lambeth Council commissioned research to summary of the key achievements and lessons explore the needs oF local Food growing learnt whilst testing the Growing Lambeth groups in Lambeth. The report ‘ A community model. This model sought to establish Four of practice For Lambeth based community growing sites as community Food growing growing groups’ identified the needs that hubs through which support for smaller went on to Form the aims oF the Growing groups could be disseminated. The action Lambeth project. research method is a way to critically reFlect on what worked well and what didn’t, and to The Growing Lambeth project was delivered revise the project plans accordingly both in partnership between Incredible Edible during the project and when reFlecting at the Lambeth (IEL), Lambeth Council and end oF the project. Groundwork London. The project was Funded through an Esmée Fairbairn grant. The project was ambitious and relied heavily on the dedication of volunteers, both the Directors The project had the Following aims: at IEL and the support oF the hub sites to achieve the aims. Whilst on the surFace, the • Develop a strong network to co-ordinate food growing sites may appear to be just about events and training throughout Lambeth growing Food they all shared the much larger • Deliver two year training and capacity ambition oF bringing local people together to building programs For the growing hubs, improve the health and wellbeing of local groups and general public oF Lambeth residents and change the area that they lived in. 3 ‘People aren’t just growing vegetables; they project. They have learnt From each other’s are trying to change where they live’. strengths including education and outreach. Victoria Sherwin, The next steps For Incredible Edible Lambeth are Myatt’s Fields Park Project to continue to champion grass roots organisations by providing Further grant Through the project IEL have been able to schemes and build more opportunities For them grow their strategic capacity; co-ordinating a to work with statutory partners to deliver hyper grant scheme, employing staFF to support local services. They will continue to strengthen their network co-ordination and marketing their voice as the spokesperson for food and building their inFluence in borough wide growing groups in Lambeth and continue to strategic Food initiatives. The hub sites have develop community leaders that can help come together to develop a training ofFer deliver the system level change to get healthier, between the sites and drew up a partnership local Food grown and eaten in Lambeth. Helen Steer, Sue Sheehan IEL Directors at IEL AGM - photo credit: Elaine Kramer 4 Context Incredible Edible Lambeth (IEL), established in IEL recognised that these food growing groups 2011, was inspired by Incredible Edible were achieving brilliant things in their local Todmorden’s 1 ethos – If you eat you’re in. communities. They were helping people learn The network was made up oF an inFormal about healthy eating, as well as improving collective oF Lambeth grass roots food their physical and mental health as a result oF growers who saw that food was a way to participating in gardening activities. As a small connect and bring people