Great! You can support FoodFutures work by giving your time in the following ways:

• Join the North Lancashire Food Champion Network.

The North Lancashire Food Champion Network and monthly induction sessions offer individuals support in finding their role within the FoodFutures ecosystem of activities. From informal social networking events, to skill shares, to active volunteering on various projects or setting up new initiatives… This network aims to assist you in finding your place and a role that matches your interests and skills. Find out more and register your interest HERE.

• Join the FoodFutures decision making tables.

Every three months FoodFutures hosts an online quarterly partnership meeting. These are open to anyone and they are great for getting an overview of FoodFutures working groups,  to find out what is going on, to ask questions and to share ideas. 

FoodFutures strategy, projects and actions are then shaped by themed working groups and their active members. People bring their ideas, enthusiasm, knowledge, experience and connections; supporting us in tackling food-related problems that impact all of us locally and nationally. To join a working group, email the working group lead. Learn more about our working groups and their priorities here.

For dates of upcoming meetings and other events see here.

• Get practical & volunteer with a local community food project.

There are many amazing food projects in North Lancashire that need volunteers and other support. These include Claver Hill Community Food Project, The Plot market garden, the Closing Loops composting, gleaning, cooking networks, Eggcup, the food club network and local food banks. Lancaster District CVS also has a directory of local volunteer opportunities. Getting in touch directly with any of these projects is a great first step to getting involved with local community food work.

Use your weekly shop to make a difference!

Keeping our money circulating in the local food economy is a great way to support its resilience. The FoodFutures Call To Action and Good Food Manifesto encourages individuals and businesses to vote with their purses and buy local, seasonal and sustainable produce where possible from independent local retailers. The online local food directory lists just some places that meet these criteria.

If you’d like to take action as an individual or within your household or community, there’s lots you can do.

Read Our Food Futures: A Community Food Strategy For North Lancashire, and then take one or all of the following steps:

1. Share your feedback. What are you excited about? What is missing from the 2030 vision? What can you do? Share your thoughts on social media using #GrowingFoodFutures, post on the FoodFutures Facebook Page, or email foodfutures@lessuk.org
2. Connect and link up. Find others that are interested in making a change locally and work with others to move projects forward. If you don’t know anyone, find like-minded people in FoodFutures working groups, volunteer with a local community food organisation, or join online groups like Friends of FoodFutures on Facebook.

Take action. There are many ways to support this positive food vision and strategy – as a policy maker, business, an organisation or individual. Check out the Good Food Manifesto and ‘Call to Action’ for inspiration.

Yes? Fantastic! We need writers and creators to help tell new stories about the food system. There are two main opportunities to get involved here…

FoodFutures coordinates a weekly food column in the Lancaster Guardian and Morecambe Visitor. The partnership also coordinates THRIVE: North Lancashire’s community food magazine. Both pull together a collection of local stories, citizen journalism, knowledge sharing and research around how we can move towards the vision of ‘A thriving local food system that is healthy, resilient and fair.’ 

To share your story, article suggestions and/or to join monthly citizen journalism meet-ups and writing skill-shares on the second Wednesday of the month, email Jim at thrive@lessuk.org for more details.

If you’re a business or organisation, then the Good Food Manifesto (GFM) Network is a great place to begin your involvement with FoodFutures!

Building on the Our Food Futures community food strategy for North Lancashire, the Good Food Manifesto Network outlines ways organisations can support a good food future here, building community health, wealth and resilience in the process. By joining you’ll get access to inspiration and a community of support for businesses, enterprises and organisations in North Lancashire that seek to overcome challenges together and be a force for good. Find out more and register your interest HERE.