Help to fight hunger in Lewes District this winter
Seahaven Storehouse Fitzjohns Community Cafe Seahaven Community Food meals The Lewes District Emergency Food Network is launching a Winter Fundraiser The Lewes District Emergency Food…
News and Events
Lewes District Food Partnership Autumn Newsletter
Read our Autumn 2025 newsletter. To receive the quarterly newsletter, subscribe to the Lewes District Food Partnership mailing list.
Food Bank Misconceptions: myth vs. reality
Here we bust 4 common misconceptions around food banks, or community food projects, and those that use them. Misconception 1 People that use food projects…
Right to Food Conference reflections: Changing the narrative
As someone working in local food systems, hearing news of a whole conference dedicated to food meant only one thing: I had to go along….
On National Food Bank Day, a reminder that support is needed all year round
National Food Bank Day is a chance to raise awareness that there are still millions of people using food support every day in the UK….
Vacancy: Project Officer for Lived Experience Insights – Financial Insecurity (Pinch Points)
Lewes District Food Partnership is recruiting a Project Officer for Lived Experience Insights – Financial Insecurity to work on the next phase of the Pinch…
Small grants programme now open for applications
Lewes District Food Partnership is pleased to have launched the latest round of small grants for communities in Lewes District on 24 July 2025. There…
Lewes District Food Partnership Summer Newsletter
Read our Summer 2025 newsletter. To receive the quarterly newsletter, subscribe to the Lewes District Food Partnership mailing list.
Grow, Cook, Eat and Compost workshops at Lewes FC
Grow, Cook, Eat, Compost is a series of fun and informal free weekly workshops held in the grounds of Lewes FC on Tuesday mornings. They…
Lewes District Food Partnership Strategy 2025–2028: Building a good local food system
Read and download our Strategy and Action Plan for 2025–2028. Since 2020, Lewes District Food Partnership has been working to build better local food systems…
Social prescribing for food security and health: Seasons community meal kits
While we may all recognise the importance of eating healthily, putting nutritious, home-cooked meals on the table is more challenging for some than others. Low…
Reflections on Sustain’s Annual Conference 2025
Lewes District Food Partnership was pleased to attend the Sustain Annual Conference 2025, which brought together people across the nation working in sustainable food systems…
New report examines reality of ‘Moral Injury’ and distress behind the scenes of community food support sector
Community psychologist, Adur & Worthing Food Partnership Director and founding member of the Alliance for Dignified Food Support Carl Walker and team have shared with…
New Lewes youth club brings food and nutrition skills to diverse young people
The Pamoja After School & Weekend Youth Club is an exciting new initiative launching in April 2025 in Lewes. The youth club is designed to provide…
Lewes District Food Partnership Spring Newsletter
Read our Spring 2025 newsletter. To receive the quarterly newsletter, subscribe to the Lewes District Food Partnership mailing list.
Denton Island Community Garden: project update
We had the absolute pleasure of welcoming four fabulous volunteers from the Hillcrest Wood Creatives last Thursday who came to our Community Garden and made…
Growing Community Toolkit
Building Communities through Gardening and Volunteering The Growing Community Toolkit is a project helping local groups and volunteers across East Sussex. The online resources, written…
Friends of Bishopstone Station recognised for community work
Friends of Bishopstone Station at the Community Rail Awards In March, Friends of Bishopstone Station received two awards at the National Community Rail 25th annual…
Food Waste Action Week: 20 tips to prevent food waste in the home
Roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption globally is wasted. Food waste is generated at different stages of the food process – on the…
Pinch Points: summary of phase 1 of our participatory research project on financial inclusion
Pinch Points is a participatory research project focused on improving support services for residents of Lewes District facing financial challenges including food insecurity. It puts…
Seedy Saturday kicks off the growing season in Lewes
Seedy Saturday, the annual seed-swapping event in Lewes, took place on 1 February 2025, coinciding with Imbolc: the Celtic festival that marks the beginning of…
Guest blog: Three years of the Alliance for Dignified Food Support
Lewes District Food Partnership would like to introduce our Project Support Officer, Jay, who has been working across several projects including the Alliance for Dignified…
Celebrating a month of Good Food East Sussex!
This October, Good Food East Sussex took the county by storm for the second year running. There were a huge range of events, workshops, volunteer…
Guest Post: A day of local food and climate action at the Lewes District Food Summit
Lewes District Food Partnership is delighted to introduce Holly, a student at the University of Sussex, who has joined us for her Global Work Experience…
Guest post: Pressing matters – celebrating the apple harvest with Fitzjohn’s Community Food
Lewes District Food Partnership is delighted to introduce Holly, a student at the University of Sussex, who has joined us for her Global Work Experience…
Guest post: Grow, Cook, Eat, Compost at Lewes FC community garden
Lewes District Food Partnership is delighted to introduce Holly, a student at the University of Sussex, who has joined us for her Global Work Experience…
Guest Post: celebrating Good Food East Sussex month with the Lewes Community Fridge Harvest Festival
Community Chef Robin Van Creveld and other volunteers plating up the soup course of the zero-waste feast held at Lewes Town Hall in collaboration with…
Grown in Lewes: A Vibrant Tapestry of Local Food, History, and Community Action
Lewes’ food story comes alive in “Grown in Lewes”, a vibrant new book celebrating our town’s rich horticultural heritage and community spirit. From historic markets…
The Lewes Food Conversation: what really matters to us about food?
Across the country, groups of citizens have been getting together to discuss what they really think about the food system and their priorities for change….
Good Food East Sussex month 2024: connecting local buyers and suppliers to build a local Good Food economy
On the 21st October, over 50 people from different organisations and local food businesses across East Sussex came together at Longbridge Regenerative to celebrate local…
Sustainable Food Places Day of Action and Celebration – we have the solutions!
On Wednesday 13th November, Lewes District Food Partnership Stef joined food partnerships from across the country in Westminster to show decision-makers the innovative ways that…
Dear Prime Minister: Lewes Residents Lead National Conversation on Poverty
Earlier in the month, two residents of Lewes District joined with voices from across the UK to call for people’s experiences of poverty to be…
Rethinking Food Systems: Lessons in Food Solidarity from the UNESCO Chair for World Food Systems in Montpellier
In late September, a diverse group of researchers, community organizations, policymakers, and citizens gathered in Montpellier, France, to share learnings from projects and research inspired…
Lewes District Food Summit: Meet the Speakers
We are delighted to introduce an incredible range of community projects, activists, researchers and local people making a difference to the face of food in…
Your Good Food East Sussex Event Guide
Good Food East Sussex Month kicks off! Join us and like-minded foodies across the county as we celebrate all the ways we create a Good…
Guest Post: “a lift to the spirits!”, Inroads Productions report back on Digging Down with community growers
Over the last 6 months, Lewes District Food Partnership have awarded grants to local groups fighting food insecurity by building community capacity. In this guest…
Lewes District Food and Climate Summit to take place on 9th October, 2024
Lewes District Food Partnership and Ouse Valley Climate Action are coming together for a day of food and climate action and celebration. WHEN? Wednesday 9th…
Guest blog: Positive Times in Lewes District with Lunch Positive
Over the last 6 months, Lewes District Food Partnership have awarded grants to local groups fighting food insecurity by building community capacity. In this guest…
Discovering the magical world of living compost in Lewes District
Composting closes the loop from field to fork. Through composting we can to use our waste to rebuild the living web of nutrients and microorganisms…
Lewes District residents at heart of new £100,000 project to improve support systems
People on low incomes in Lewes District will have a key role in a new project to combat financial hardship, thanks to a £100,000 grant…
LDFP launch another round of small grants!
We are delighted to announce another round of grants available to local groups. Following the success of previous rounds, we will once again be offering…
General Election special – LDFP attend local hustings
On Thursday, Lewes District Food Partnership coordinator Nancy and members of our networks attended a packed-out hustings at King’s Church to hear how candidates for…
Lewes District Emergency Food Networks ask general election candidates how they will fight hunger in Lewes District
With the general election coming up on the 4th July, Lewes District Emergency Food network have written to candidates to ask what they’ll do if…
Guest blog: celebrating pride month with Taste the Rainbow
Over the last 6 months, Lewes District Food Partnership has awarded grants to projects building local food security by developing a Good Food Movement. This…
Pinch Points – Have Your Say!
Are you passionate about making sure local residents have access to the support they need? Do you want to be part of a movement to…
Charleston Festival 2024 – Food Wisdom from Bee Wilson, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Leyla Kazim
To help us better navigate today’s oftentimes disorienting food landscape, Bee Wilson and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shared their Food Wisdom in a packed-out tent at the…
Guest blog: the Russell Martin Foundation, using food to create new learning environments
Over the last 6 months, Lewes District Food Partnership have awarded grants to local groups fighting food insecurity by building community capacity. In this guest…
A visit to Rodmell Food Forest, an adventure in edible biodiversity
Nestled on a slope with views of the downs and the sea beyond, Rodmell Forest Garden is open every Wednesday to volunteers to learn more…
Featured project: Seaford Environmental Alliance
From a community pantry sharing surplus food, to a courtyard bursting with seedlings looking for loving homes, a visit to to the SEA Climate Hub…
Featured Project: Pippa’s Group Nursery
Coordinator Nancy had the chance to meet some of the youngest – and most enthusiastic – members of the Good Food Movement in Lewes District….
“A humbling and enriching experience” – what happens when buyers, suppliers and supporters of Good Food in East Sussex connect
On a sunny Monday in March, over 50 people came together at Montague Farm on the Pevensey Levels to reimagine shorter, more human and tastier…
Lewes FC Community Garden Open Event
By Gemma McFarlane, Grow Cook Eat network coordinator When we invited people to join us gardening at Lewes Football Club last week, some were a…
“It makes me feel proud about Newhaven” – celebrating 2 years of Hospitable Environment’s Soup and Social
Since 2022, Hospitable Environment has been bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together for a community meal and conversations around the central question “what…
“I’m more open to trying different things now” – SDCA community supermarkets evaluation published for 2023
The 2023 evaluation report for the Peacehaven & Newhaven Community Supermarkets reflects on the challenges and opportunities of alternative models of community food support. SCDA…
Guest post: Lunch Positive Seahaven Social
LDFP are delighted to welcome a guest contribution from Lunch Positive Project Coordinator Jim Stanford. Read on to find out more about the community connections…
Sustainable Food Places Bronze Award tour gets underway
Lewes District Food Partnership have kicked off the New Year with celebrations of our Sustainable Food Places Bronze award. The award is a national, evidence-based…
Winter edition of Grow Cook Eat newsletter released
Our new edition of the Grow Cook Eat Network’s newsletter is a one stop shop for anything to do with growing, cooking, sharing, preserving and…
How 11 people spoke truth to power in Sussex
In May and June of this year we ran a project called Feeling the Pinch: Have Your Say! which aimed to amplify the voices of…
Lewes District Council group call for action on the cost-of-living crisis
Read the Joint Letter from the Cost of Living Partners Action Group 90% of low-income households on Universal Credit are currently going without essentials. Some…
Emergency Food Network Christmas Appeal
The Lewes District Emergency Food Network is a network of projects across the district that collectively support over 500 households to access food. The rising…
A Visit to Lovebrook Farm
In between two very wet, dull days, we were lucky to get a beautiful sunny Friday for a Grow Cook Eat Network visit to Lovebrook…
Lewes District Annual Food Summit 2023
Now is the time to reflect on what a brilliant event the Food Summit was. Over 80 of you showed up to join the discussion…
We did it! – Lewes District Food Partnership receives a Bronze Award from Sustainable Food Places
Lewes District Food Partnership have achieved a bronze award from Sustainable Food Places for work achieved locally on building better food systems for people and…
Stir Up Sunday with Friends of Bishopstone Station
Last week, members of the community were invited to the community hub at Bishopstone station to join in with Stir up Sunday. We had 15…
Lunch Positive’s Seahaven Social
Lunch Positive’s Seahaven Social is a peer led support group for people living with HIV. We aim to overcome social isolation and loneliness, creating a…
The Friends of Sutton Downs Growing Project
The Friends of Sutton Downs (FoSD) formed in the winter of 2020 with the aim of renaturing around the Downs Leisure Centre in Seaford. Coming…
Feeling the Pinch: Have Your Say full report published
Feeling the Pinch: Have Your Say Report published Feeling the Pinch: Have Your Say Report 2023 ‘Feeling the Pinch! Have Your Say’ is an innovative…
The Seaford Head school vegetable garden
The Seaford Head School Vegetable Garden I began helping with the Seaford Head school gardening group in April. The students planted lots of vegetable…
Helping out in the SCDA community kitchen
I love finding out more about the projects in the Grow Cook Eat Network and learning about how they work. Last month I offered to…
Lewes District Annual Food Summit this October
Are you interested in local food security and sustainability? Join us at this years Lewes District Annual Food Summit which will be held at Plumpton College…
Evaluation of the Seahaven Community Food ‘Community Supermarket’ model
Seahaven Community Food is SCDA’s Community Food Team; they run two community supermarkets in Newhaven and Peacehaven as well as a Community Kitchen, a Community…
Grants for Community Food Projects & Events in Lewes District
Category A: up to £400 for Community Food Events to help celebrate Good Food East Sussex Month this October. These grants aim to support events…
This October is Good Food East Sussex Month
In October 2023, organisations and communities across East Sussex will be coming together to hold the first ever Good Food East Sussex Month. There will…
Make Your Own Kebab Workshop with Table Talk Foundation
Chef John from Table Talk Foundation came along to Christ Church in Lewes to show us how to make our own fresh kebabs. With the…
Community Cafe at Fitzjohns Food Bank
Fitzjohns Food Bank has been running in it’s current form since 2017, located out of Christ Church on Prince Edwards Road in Lewes it is…
Community Food at Friends of Bishopstone Station
In November ’22 Friends of Bishopstone Station (FOBs) brought this Art Deco listed station building into use as a community hub. Every Monday FOBs run…
Lovebrook Farm – regenerative food production and community well-being
I take every opportunity I can to visit Lovebrook Farm in Kingston Nr Lewes, it’s a wonderful place with a deep connection to nature. Hannah…
Feeling the Pinch: Have Your Say – Lewes District Residents talk about their experiences of Food Insecurity
Ruby Makepeace Somerville, Coordinator of LDFP and Jane Perry, independent social researcher, have been running Lewes District Food Partnership’s ‘Feeling the Pinch: Have Your Say!’…
Video: One Extra Item – The Lewes Food Bank Story
Stef Lake, Chair of Lewes District Food Partnership, spoke at the premier of a short film made by Sarah Clifford from InRoads production about Lewes…
A visit to Newhaven Harbour
Recently I was lucky enough to be shown around Newhaven Harbour by David Guy, the site manager and Secretary of the Newhaven Fish & Flake…
Food Justice at the Extinction or Regeneration Conference
In May, Stef Lake Chair of Lewes District Food Partnership, was invited to speak as part of a panel exploring food justice, at the Extinction…
Grow Cook Eat & Compost at Lewes Football Club
We chatted to Lucie Simon from Feel Good Food about the project she is working on at Lewes Football Club. Here’s what she had to…
Healthy Eating Week at Seaford Head School
Seaford Head school chose to use Healthy Eating week to promote a healthier lunch menu and provide other healthy food activities to raise awareness about…
A visit to Peverells Community Garden in Seaford
Gemma Mcfarlane from Incredible Edible Seaford, who works with our Grow Cook Eat network went to visit Peverells Community Garden in Seaford. Here’s a bit…
Wasting sausages is the Wurst – working together to save food from landfill
There are endless disturbing facts and figures around how much food is wasted every day in the UK, these numbers are usually accompanied by some…
Landport Community Cafe – article in the Lewesian
We’ve written before about the incredible community food projects and support in Landport, Lewes. The estate is a great example of the impact joined-up thinking…
Case Study: East Sussex Food Partnerships – The Cost-of-Living Crisis
Sustainable Food Places is an alliance of three charities: Soil Association, Food Matters & Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food & Farming. The Sustainable Food…
A Conversation with: Ovesco Energy Champions
Ovesco are a community owned renewable energy company in East Sussex with a vision in which “100% of our energy needs are generated locally from…
Feeling the Pinch: Have Your Say!
What’s it really like to live through the Cost-of-Living Crisis? Time to get your views heard. Is the cost-of-living crisis affecting your household budget? Do you…
A visit to Lewes FC Community Kitchen Garden ‘Brad’s Pit’
On a frosty morning in December I ventured out to investigate what I’d been hearing people refer to as ‘Brad’s Pit’. I was keen to…
Lewes District Emergency Food Network Christmas Appeal
Lewes District Emergency Food Network is made up of 10 community food projects that are tackling poverty across the district. They partnered up for a…
Human Nature Fundraising Dinner
On the 10th of December, Human Nature held its first Dinner with Purpose and auction event in a repurposed warehouse on the Phoenix Industrial Estate…
Lewes District Food Summit
The first Lewes District Food Summit took place on October 11th at the Linklater Pavilion in Lewes. Organised by Lewes District Food Partnership, the event…
Landport Estate, Lewes
Food security can’t be achieved on a ‘one size fits all’ basis. The beauty of community food projects is that they are typically ultra-local, run…
“We believe that a transition to a healthy, sustainable and more equitable food system requires not only strong national policy but also collaborative action between policy makers, businesses and civil society at the local level.”
Sustainable Food Places