Hosted by Cheshire West Voluntary Action (CWVA) and the West Cheshire Food Partnership, the Food Summit shared the progress of the Food Partnership to date and looked at the opportunities and gaps in the local food system.
The Food Partnership, funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council, is made up of eight sub groups, focusing on areas including school food, community food security, early years food, and diverse and inclusive diets.
There were a range of speakers and workshops at the Food Summit, providing the opportunity for attendees to increase their knowledge and skills in areas such as community growing, the link between food and wellbeing, data and impact and much more.
Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of the Council, opened the event, outlining the importance of all partners working together to achieve the Food Partnership’s ambition of being awarded the next level of Sustainable Food Places accreditation.
Rebecca Story, Strategic Lead for the Food Partnership at CWVA, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people from different organisations and sectors taking part in our second successful Food Summit.
“The first Food Summit helped set the direction for the Food Partnership so this latest event has provided the chance to reflect on our progress and refocus our efforts for the future.
“Most of the workshops were delivered by organisations involved with the Food Partnership so it was great that they were able to share their extensive knowledge and skills with others.
“We’re excited for the future of the Food Partnership and what we can achieve together.”
Councillor Gittins added: “We have ambitions to achieve silver level Sustainable Food Places accreditation in Cheshire West, using an evidence-based and well tested framework to take an effective approach to sustainable and healthy food, and a system-wide Food Partnership is integral to this.
“We can achieve so much more by working together across different sectors and with our communities, listening to local voices to help to shape how we take this work forwards.”
Out of the 33 people who responded to a short post-event survey, 27 said the Food Summit was excellent, while six said it was good. 32 people said the event helped them make new connections and learn something new from the workshops.
If your organisation would like to engage with the Food Partnership, please email: rebecca.story@cwva.org.uk for an informal conversation.
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