A shining example of how communities are taking control of their futures came this week with the announcement that the Making Local Food Work programme, delivered in part by the Plunkett Foundation, has already benefitted over 1.4million people.
Making Local Food Work, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme, reported that it had already exceeded its target of reaching out to 1million people by 2012, with a staggering 1.4million people being provided with better access to local food by sustainable community enterprises.
Jennifer Smith, Head of managing Making Local Food Work, commented: “We’re thrilled to report such a high level of success and delighted that we have already surpassed our target two years sooner than anticipated. Initially we thought the targets were ambitious, but we found a real need within communities for our support, again emphasizing the importance of supporting communities to take ownership of their food and where it comes from. We now have a further two years to concentrate on doing all we can to reach even more people.”
Peter Wanless, Chief Executive, Big Lottery Fund, said: “We are very pleased to see that the Big Lottery Fund grant awarded to Making Local Food Work is having such a positive impact on so many people. An aim of the funding, from our Changing Spaces programme, was to enable communities to lead healthier and more environmentally sustainable lifestyles and it is great to see that being achieved right across the country.”
To find out more about how Making Local Food Work can benefit your community, visit http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/