Growing Communities' Start-Up Programme

Bringing more locally and sustainably produced food to your community

Growing Communities' Start-Up Programme works with groups across the UK to help them set up community-led box schemes.  We are currently working with a number of groups as part of our 2010/11 Start-Up Programme. Three of those groups launched their own box schemes in June 2011:Burnley Crop Share, Let's Eat Local, Moffat, Local Greens, Herne Hill, London and the Windmill Community Box scheme is due to launch in Margate in July 2011.

"It's been inspiring to work with all these different groups from across the UK and very exciting to see them launch their own community-led box schemes. We know there are many more communities and individuals all over the UK who understand that we need to act now to create the local food initiatives that are going make our food system more sustainable and resilient" said Julie Brown, Growing Communities' director.

For more details of the Programme please go to the Growing Communities' Start-Up website.

Growing Communities has developed materials, training and web-tools with which to help other groups set up community-led box schemes.   We now have a dedicated Start-Up website to show groups who are interested in joining the programme what is involved and how they can get started.

Growing Communities' Start-Up Programme has received funds from the UnLtd Millenium Awards Scheme.

We know that our community-led box scheme works and provides sustainably produced food, support for local farmers and jobs in our community - we now want to see how it can work in other communities.

Julie Brown, director, Growing Communities