Housing Associations Boost Capital Growth Scheme

• Rosie Boycott, Mayor's food adviser calls housing estate food growing summit

• 1st October deadline looming for Edible Estates competition entries
  

Capital Growth – the grow-your-own food initiative from London Food Link, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and the Big Lottery's Local Food Fund – has been boosted by two major housing associations, Family Mosaic and L&Q, signing up to the scheme.   Between them the associations manage over 100,000 homes, many in the London area. 

The news comes as the Mayor of London's food adviser Rosie Boycott, urged London's social housing landlords to play their part in meeting the increased demand for food growing spaces.  She will be headlining Capital Growth's Edible Estates summit on 19th October which will bring together community food-growers, experts and housing association and local council professionals with the aim of identifying ways to increase the amount of food grown on housing estates all over the capital.

Food growers on housing estates still have a chance to enter the Edible Estates competition which closes on October 1st.  For details on how to enter go to: www.capitalgrowth.org/edibleestates. Prizes include £250 gift cards, tool sets, worm cafes, training as well as practical help and advice.

Rosie Boycott commented, 'This is an excellent opportunity to show social housing providers how easy it is to join our campaign, to celebrate the great work that is already taking place, and encourage them to add to the 500-plus growing spaces we have reached on the way to our 2,012 target by the end of Olympic year.  We will also be announcing the winners of our Edible Estates competition at the summit, showcasing the variety of ways people can grow food, often in unusual spaces.  But there is still time for growers to enter our prize-packed competition by getting their entries in by the 1st October deadline.'

The Edible Estates summit will also hear from the London head of the National Housing Federation, Belinda Porich. 

Belinda Porich explained, 'Food growing has gone up the agenda in the last few years, and is a good issue on which housing associations can engage with their residents, while also providing a makeover to some of the less well loved areas around their housing'.

The event ties in with the sign up of two large housing associations to support the Capital growth campaign; both Family Mosaic and L&Q have pledged to work with the team at Capital Growth to find ways to engage local residents and support new food growing spaces on their land or estates.

Yvonne Arrowsmith, Group Operations Director commented 'Family Mosaic are delighted to be working with Capital Growth to support at least 15 Food growing spaces over the next few years.  We have already begun to work with our active groups and will be identifying potential spaces and inspiring more residents to get started on projects throughout our 20 000 London properties.  Working with Capital Growth team means we will have access to the specialised support and advice that these projects often look for, as well as added benefits such as discounts, training and events'

Sarah Williams, Capital Growth officer, expands, 'We have been extremely pleased with the responses from social housing providers to the campaign.  They have immediately recognised the role food-growing projects play in bringing people together and improving the quality of life for local communities and value the support we can offer.  We have already had commitments from Affinity Sutton, Metropolitan Housing Trust and, Redbridge Homes to help their residents to create new community food growing spaces.  We hope that through this summit others will see the clear benefits of coming on board.”

ENDS

For more information contact Sarah Williams on 0203 5596 777 sarah@sustainweb.org, or Alan Ali in the Mayor's press office on 020 7983 4066 or environmentdesk@london.gov.uk.

Notes to Editors

1. Capital Growth is a partnership initiative between London Food Link, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and the Big Lottery's Local Food Fund. It is championed by the Chair of the London Food Board Rosie Boycott and aims to create 2012 new community food growing spaces across London by the end of 2012.  Capital Growth offers practical help, grants training and support to groups wanting to establish community food growing projects as well as well as advice to landowners. It is funded by the Mayor of London and by the Big Lottery's Local Food Fund. https://www.capitalgrowth.org/
2. Edible Estates conference takes place on 19th October in Islington and includes speakers from National Housing Federation, and Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment as well as Rosie Boycott, food advisor to the Mayor of London. www.capitalgrowth.org/edibleestates/conference
3. The following prizes will be for the winners and runners-up of the three different categories, judged in September 2010 and announced in October 2010.

For the three overall winners

• £250 gift card from B&Q
• 10 piece tool set from Bulldog
• A worm café from Wiggly Wigglers
• 3 spaces for Capital Growth training

For the 6 runners up

• £100 gift card form B&Q
• Set of fruit bushes from Gardening Express
• 1 space for Capital Growth training
• Small vegetable garden voucher