To become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

Community interest statement

For the public benefit of the people and families of Bridport and its surrounding area, Bridport Food Matters aims to build resilience, mutual aid and a supportive and sharing economy, primarily through the promotion of food equality and cooperation.

Mission

To work together to build community, health, economic and environmental resilience; sustaining and supporting Bridport area people and families through food provision, activities, information and education

Key Aims and Objectives

• Bringing together a number of existing community food-related initiatives within one umbrella organisation, initially, although not exclusively, under one, town-centre, hub.
• Working together as a community to sustain and support Bridport area people and families through food activities.
• Working together to increase social cohesion and community resilience by bringing together disparate communities around a topic of mutual interest: growing, sourcing, providing, buying, exchanging, sharing, cooking and eating food.
• Creating a culture of mutual aid and a supportive and sharing economy among the community, businesses, producers and other stakeholders, primarily through the promotion of food equality and cooperation.
• Engaging with and supporting people and families dealing with issues around deprivation, particularly food poverty; promoting healthy eating and social engagement.
• Informing, educating, upskilling and entertaining local people around the subject of food: growing, climate change, food miles, mutual aid, supporting the local economy and community support.
• Making connections between food-related activity and availability in the Bridport area in terms of supply chains, reducing food miles, promoting food security.
• Working in partnership with local food and other community groups, such as the youth centre, the medical centre, environmental groups, children’s centre, schools, older people and mental health services, Bridport Local Food Group.
• Consulting and engaging with people and families who may have an interest in accessing the Food Matters hub and ensuring all stakeholders can be integral to the decision-making process.

A Community Food Hub:

Some, non-exclusive, examples of the core provision through which this may be achieved are:

• a social supermarket
• a community café – to be used also as a space for cooking classes, workshops, training, skills and other small-scale community events, arts and crafts and family activities
• a growing club – an outside space to build an edible garden to grow food for the café and supermarket and to use for outside cooking demonstrations
• a zero-waste/refill outlet
• providing a space for families and children for activities such as the arts, play and other family activities.
• information provision and exchange – about sourcing, growing, buying and cooking local produce and good-value, high-quality, healthy food; climate resilience resources and support; and other available community groups, support and services

Membership/governance

‘Associate’ membership to be automatic by virtue of residency in Bridport and its environs.  Full membership could be free and open to people willing to sign up to the mailing list.  Such people would each be entitled to a vote (one member, one vote), for instance, at the AGM.  Then there would be organisational membership made up of stakeholders, e.g. Cupboard Love, Glut Stall, Community Fridge.