Grow Cook Eat Network
I’m pleased to be a part of the LDFP Grow, Cook, Eat Network. It’s a great way to meet people involved in these projects, learn more about what they do and share knowledge and experience.
Gemma McFarlane, Sharing Skills CIC
Our Grow, Cook, Eat Network brings people and community groups together to look for opportunities for shared working.
By joining the Grow Cook Eat Network you will have access to:
· A WhatsApp group and seasonal network meetings
· Funding opportunities, both externally and via the food partnership
· Mutual support to set up and develop projects, share expertise and to link growing, cooking & eating projects together
· Publicity via the LDFP website and social media platforms
· Opportunities to share your news and events in our regular online newsletter
To join our Grow, Cook, Eat Network please email info@lewesdistrictfoodpartnership.org
Grow Cook Eat members directory
For more info on the groups or to find out about any volunteering opportunities get in touch directly with the contacts provided below. For active volunteering opportunities visit the Volunteer Vacancies page.
Lewes Community Allotment
Highdown Road Allotments,
Lewes
Lesley Healey lesleyhealey267@gmail.com
commoncause.org.uk
A large allotment, managed by a group of around 15 members who share the work and the produce. The allotment is also sometimes used by other projects working with children or adults with a need to improve their wellbeing. eg, Froglife have run 12 week courses for children with disabilities.
Fitzjohn Foodbank Vegetable Garden
Christchurch,
Prince Edward’s Road,
Lewes
fitzjohnsfoodbank@gmail.com
Lewes Community Allotment has set up a vegetable growing area outside the food bank in the car park.
Peacehaven Community Orchard
Centenary Park, Peacehaven
David Seabrook PeacehavenOrchard@gmail.com
Northern side of the Centenary Park. We have almost one hundred apple trees growing including many Sussex varieties that are cared for by a team of volunteers with the support of Brighton Permaculture Trust. Volunteer days are held throughout the year and everyone is welcome to attend and look after our trees. Weeding, watering, pruning, planting, mulching and repairing the wind breaks are among the many activities on offer.
Peacehaven Community Garden
The Oval, Peacehaven
David Seabrook PeacehavenOrchard@gmail.com
Come and Grow with us. Volunteers are always needed to help us in developing, planting and maintaining Peacehaven Community Garden.
Peacehaven Community Garden can
– provide fresh nutritious fruit and vegetables
– relieve stress and an increased sense of wellness
– get you active and improve your physical health
– provide social opportunities that build a sense of belonging
– give you an opportunity to learn and share knowledge on gardening, nature & cooking.
The Growing Project
Downs Leisure Centre, Seaford
Karen Hall & Peter Hurley friendsofsuttondowns@gmail.com
Seafuture.org/friends-of-Sutton-downs/
The Growing Project is about nature, food and community. Friends of Sutton Downs are working together with Lewes District Council and local groups to restore nature at the Downs Leisure Centre, Seaford and to enable the grounds to be a more nature-friendly resource for the whole community. The Growing Project invites people to spend time together outdoors with opportunities for community involvement and highlights nature’s role for well-being and health. We are planting trees, a fruiting hedgerow, a community orchard, naturalising verges and seeding wildflower meadows.
Peverells Community Garden
Raymond Close,
Seaford
Miriam Thundercliffe mimthundercliffe@gmail.com
We are in the infancy stages of setting up a community garden in the heart of an estate called the Peverells. We hope to set up growing projects that benefit the local community and beyond. The garden will also offer a beautiful space for wellbeing and projects like Forest Schools & furthering our connection with nature. A space made by the community for the community.
Seahaven Food – Community Kitchen
Denton Island Community Centre, Newhaven
Emily Clarke food@sussexcommunity.org.uk
www.sussexcommunity.org.uk
SCDA’s Denton Island Community Kitchen has a community chef, trained cookery leaders and three teams of cookery kitchen volunteers who cook up hundred of portions of food each month, making use of surplus veg leftover from other community food projects.These meals are then frozen, ready to go out in our community supermarkets in Peacehaven and Newhaven where members can take home a healthy meal on a Pay-as-you-feel basis.
We also offer cookery courses such as ‘Plant Based Cooking on a Budget’.
Lewes Farmers Market
Common Cause Co-operative, 111 High Street, Lewes
Topsy Jewell commoncausecoop@gmail.com
www.commoncause.org.uk
Lewes Farmers Market sells a range of fresh, seasonal local produce grown, reared or made in Sussex using methods that are sustainable for people, the environment and wildlife. The market is open twice a month and is located in the Friars Walk car park, just off Cliff precinct.
Lewes House Garden Project
32 High Street, Lewes
Anne-Marie Burr leweshousegarden@gmail.com
http://www.commoncause.org.uk/lewes-house-garden
Free supported gardening sessions in Lewes House Garden on Tuesday mornings and afternoons.
Lewes House Garden Project allows local people the opportunity to be surrounded by plants, helping them to grow. Spending time outdoors in nature is good for many aspects of health including low mood, joints and muscles, and weight management. The ethos of the project is one of inclusivity and enabling everyone to make a contribution. Beginners and experienced gardeners are both equally welcome. Session leaders are on hand to allocate tasks and give guidance as required. Some of our group are fully mobile, some have occasional or long term mobility restrictions so activities are adjusted accordingly
Ringmer Community Orchard
Broyle Place Farm, Laughton Road, Ringmer
Katharine Finnigan commoncause1@gmail.com
www.commoncause.org.uk
Heritage orchard of apple, pear and plum trees managed organically by members. The orchard is about an acre on land kindly donated by Anthony Tasker; it was planted in 2005 by the local community and is managed to encourage wildflowers and biodiversity. The site has been used by local schools and Colleges and projects as an educational and therapeutic resource. Fruit is shared by members, sold in local shops and Country Markets and given to local food banks. The majority of the apples and some pears are pressed to make pasteurised apple juice and pear juice which is then sold.
Stirring the Pot
Plant-Based Health
Denton Island Community Centre,
Newhaven
Nancy Manifold info@stirringthepot.co.uk
www.stirringthepot.co.uk
A healthy plant-based diet is a powerful tool for avoiding or improving many chronic health conditions. I am currently leading individual classes and courses teaching people about the benefits of a plant-based way of eating. The sessions are a combination of nutrition education and cooking. I find this works well as it gives people the opportunity to learn about a plant based diet while at the same time trying their hand at cooking plant-based dishes. The classes have been well-received and good fun. No cooking experience is necessary.
Fitzjohns Community Cafe
Christ Church, Prince Edwards Road
Lewes BN7 1BL
Ruby Makepeace-Somerville
coordinator@fitzjohnsfoodbank.co.uk
A Pay-As-You-Feel Community Cafe. Each week a Community Chef runs a cooking session with volunteers to make up a delicious meal from scratch which is then available to members of Fitzjohns Foodbank in the Community Cafe.
The long-term plan is to open the Community Cafe up to the wider community, inviting our neighbours to come and join us for a Pay-As-You-Feel lunch on a Monday.
Lewes & Villages Seniors
Lewes
Polly Senter
contactlandvs@gmail.com
Amongst other support for older people, there is a recipe leaflet using local/seasonal ingredients and low energy cooking methods (Eat or Heat Project). Plans for a weekly soup and ploughman’s lunch at a sheltered housing scheme and linking with other organisations to encourage healthy eating during this crisis.
Get involved by joining us and using our services and volunteering!
Super Food Community Lunch
Mercread Youth Centre, Mercread Road, Seaford.
Gemma Mcfarlane
hello@sharingskills.co.uk
www.sharingskills.co.uk/super-food
Super Food is a local enterprise to get people eating food that’s good for them and good for the planet. We have lots of exciting projects planned so visit the website for details. Join us on the fourth Saturday of the month at the Seaford Repair Cafe at the Mercread Youth Centre, Mercread Road where volunteers help you to fix your item or learn a new practical skill. Super Food provides a free hot community lunch with tea, coffee, fruit and homemade cake. We have food based games, activities, books to read or you can come and chat with your neighbours and meet new ones!
Fourth Saturday of the month, 12-3.30pm
Lewes Friday Food Market
Market Tower, Lewes
Every Friday 9am-1pm
Lewes Local C.I.C.
Lucie Inns – Market Manager
lewesfoodmarket@hotmail.com
https://www.lewesfoodmarket.co.uk/
ood Market
Lewes Local C.I.C.
Buy Local – Eat Seasonal – Feel Good
Lewes Local Community Interest Company (CIC) is a not-for-profit company with the broad aims of developing sustainable local food systems and making it easier for more people to buy good, healthy, seasonal food. Lewes Local CIC was established in June 2010, and the Lewes Food Market is its first project.
Lewes FC Community Kitchen Garden ‘Brad’s Pit’
‘The Dripping Pan’ Lewes Football Stadium.
Mountfield Road, Lewes, BN7 2XA
Tony Kalume
Diversity Lewes
info@diversitylewes.org.uk
Twitter: diversity_lewes
Facebook: Diversity Lewes or #LewesFCCommunityGarden
Lewes FC Community Kitchen Garden is nicknamed ‘Brad’s Pit’ after the footballer who set it up in 2021.
Tony Kalume from Diversity Lewes and the Community Garden is working to create spaces to assist victims of hate crimes, students with special needs and other vulnerable groups to build confidence, teach life skills and train and empower people. Fighting isolation and encouraging well being through using the garden as a therapeutic exercise.
Tony is keen for people to come and visit and get involved.
Incredible Edible Seaford
Pelham Road, Seaford
A group of local residents, eager to grow vegetables wherever they can agreed with Seaford Town Council to plant and maintain the flowerbeds outside Morrisons and Lloyds bank this year. Community food growing has become very popular all over the country in recent years. It’s a great way to bring people together to make friends, learn skills and grow food. It also provides exercise and improves wellbeing. Having such a central plot is great to show people how their food grows and hopefully to interest more people in growing. We meet once a month on a Sunday morning to maintain the beds (More regularly when needed).
We’d like to establish more edible beds in the town. Would you like to get involved? With more people we could be growing all over town!
Lewes Priory Community Garden
Cockshut Road, Southover, Lewes, BN7 1HP
Sarah Rideout
volunteer@lewespriory.org.uk
http://www.lewespriory.org.uk/priorygardens
Lewes Priory community kitchen garden is a demonstration garden growing produce, maintained by volunteers fortnightly – 2 – 4 pm on the first and third Thursdays of each month until the end of November.
We currently have space for two more volunteers, no experience necessary.
Please contact volunteer@lewespriory.org.uk
Jo’s Food Growing Project
Louvain Nursery
Peacehaven
Louvain Organic Nursery, 66 Telscombe Road, Peacehaven, East Sussex, BN10 7UB
Jo Colchester
www.louvainnurseries.co.uk
jofoodgrowingproject@gmail.com
01273 584156
We are a soil association certified organic nursery. Our latest project is to transform some adjoining rented land into a large vegetable allotment. We will grow a surplus of organic vegetables (to strict soil standards) to donate to the Grow/Cook/Eat network of community food projects.
Winter (from Dec) volunteers welcome on Thursdays when we will be clearing and setting up the new plot, creating raised beds etc. ready for the spring. Spring onwards volunteers welcome on Thursdays to help maintain the plot, plant & harvest vegetables through the season. Please call ahead to register
Seaford Head School growing project
Seaford Head School, Arundel Rd, Seaford, BN25 4LX
Helen Green
helengreen@seafordhead.org
Growing fruit and vegetables with students inside and outside our polytunnel.
Being a school we can only have volunteers who have an up to date DBS, we run the clubs with teachers.
Donations of gardening tools, wellies and gloves are always welcome.
Landport Community Garden
Hayward Road, Lewes,
BN7 2EA – behind the blue door.
A community garden on the Landport estate. We grow fruit and vegetables which are shared between volunteers, the local Foodbank, Community Fridge and Community Cafe. Alongside this we try to provide a biodiverse wildlife friendly space.
We also provide a space for local community organisations to run groups eg Pippas Group nursery and Circle of Life Rediscovery who run groups for people with dementia and their carers, and for young people with mental health challenges, and we provide a space for community gatherings.
Volunteering opportunities available on the 1st Saturday and 3rd Thursday of the month 10-1, plus some other “pop up” Thursdays
