Groundwork has been engaged in a number of projects linked to
healthly eating. Firstly, we worked in partnership with the
Community Kitchens Project, based in Holloway, to raise awareness
about healthy eating and to promote and create a market for a food
co-op in North Islington. Groundwork successfully recruited and
trained 12 "community champions" to undertake a door to door survey
of local residents and to promote and recruit volunteers for a
community food stall at Hargrave Park School. Community Champions
talked to nearly 1000 people on 31 social housing estates in north
Islington about their fruit and vegetable consumption. Champions
identified 131 residents interested in volunteering or
participating in healthy eating projects.
Secondly, we were commissioned to undertake an open spaces audit aimed to identify open spaces on housing estate which might have been suitable for allotments or community gardens. Our Community champions surveyed all green spaces on housing estate and one of our landscape architects visited all the sites identified and identified seven green spaces suitable for being transformed into allotments or community gardens. Community Champions then undertook community consultation to establish estates with high levels of community support for such a project to take place. Based on outcomes of community consultation concept designs were produced for the development of green spaces on Miranda Estate and Bowerman Court.
Partners for this project included Community Kitchens and Islington Primary Care Trust.
The project was part of the multi disciplinary Staying Alive project which worked with young people in Islington. Click to read about our involvement in the Staying Alive project.