PRESS RELEASE

Date: 29th March 2011

Photo Opportunity: Tuesday 5th April 2011, Temptation Cafe, 56 Gardner Street, Brighton 9.30am

Everyone’s talking about growing your own veg these days and Brighton & Hove is leading the way with the city’s Harvest campaign to get more people growing and eating local food. The 2011 Grow It!’ competition for businesses will launch at Temptation Cafe on Tuesday 5 April to encourage local businesses to try growing edible plants.

Last year, almost 30 businesses across Brighton & Hove signed up to the inaugural year of the competition, including hotels, pubs, cafes and even the local bus company! We saw a huge range of creative and recycled containers and veg growing in unusual urban spaces around the city, inspiring others to give it a ‘grow’. Temptation Cafe, joint winner in 2010 with Little Earthworms Nursery, was even filmed with other Brighton vegetable growers for the final episode of the ‘Great British Food Revival’ series which airs on BBC2 on Thursday 31 March at 8pm.

This competition is a great way for businesses to attract new customers, show their support for local food and food growing, and maybe even save a few pennies in the process! The best displays will be announced during the Food Festival in September.

Businesses of any kind can participate: Bars could grow mint for their cocktails, pubs and cafes could try herbs, salads or tomatoes for their meals, shops could stock plug plants or gardening tools. Even workplaces are encouraged to join in and share the harvest amongst employees who help with the growing on a windowsill or roof garden.

“We can’t wait to see businesses around the city taking part in this competition – from the Laines to the Downs we could have buildings brimming with edible plants! It’s a great way to celebrate the unique and independent spirit of our city and show the growing interest in local food and growing your own.” said Jess Crocker, Manager of the Harvest project at the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership.

"After the success of Grow It in 2010, we're expecting great things from Brighton & Hove's businesses this year. It was amazing to see all the different produce that was grown in some of the most unusual places" said Nick Mosley, MD, Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival.

Read more about last year's competition and the winners here.

Ends

For details about the photo opportunity including arranging to attend please contact the Food Partnership on: 01273 431 700 or 07850 002 598

For more information contact:

1. Jess Crocker, Harvest Manager, Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, Tel: 01237 431 700

3. Paula Seager or Ali West, Natural PR for the Food Festival, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Notes for Editors:

1. Harvest Brighton and Hove is a three-year, Big Lottery-funded project led by the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, in partnership with Food Matters, the University of Brighton, The Brighton and Hove Allotment Federation, the Brighton Permaculture Association, Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and the Whitehawk Community Food Project. It is supported by Brighton and Hove City Council, and Brighton and Hove Teaching Primary Care Trust. www.harvest-bh.org.uk

 

2. Brighton & Hove Food Partnership is a not for profit organisation that works for better food for the city now and in the future. By better food, we mean food that is healthy, affordable, accessible and produced within environmental limits. We believe by working in partnership Brighton & Hove can achieve a sustainable food system. Details of our work are at: www.bhfood.org.uk.

 

3. Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival runs annually during April and September with a whole host of exciting foodie events and activities across the city, including the Big Sussex Market, Live Food Stage, Children's Food Festival, Open House Dining, Chocolate Festival, Chilli Festival alongside one-off restaurant and community special events. The core aims of the festival are to support the local food economy, raise awareness of the good food in and around the city, and encourage footfall and spend to the city and its food and hospitality businesses. www.brightonfoodfestival.com

 

4. Local Food has been developed by a consortium of 15 national environmental organisations, and is managed on their behalf by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). Supported by the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, Local Food will distribute grants to a variety of food related projects to make locally grown food more accessible.

Further information please visit www.localfoodgrants.org

4. RSWT: The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts is a registered charity, incorporated by Royal Charter, to promote conservation and manage environmental programmes throughout the whole of the UK. It has established management systems for holding and distributing funds totalling more than £20 million annually to environmental projects across the UK.

 

5. Changing Spaces programme: The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme was launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme funds a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers markets, to education projects teaching people about the local environment.

 

6. The Big Lottery Fund: Is the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.