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We are a local community network that steers the delivery of food security and supports, informs and connects stakeholders, promoting a sustainable local food system in Bridport and surrounding area.
A VIRTUAL HUB
BFM is currently a hub without walls, a virtual hub building a good food movement through sharing information, and providing visibility to other organisations and activities in the area.
We do this via our communications channels and at our events. Our website contains an extensive directory of local food and farming initiatives.
As well as our Instagram and Facebook Page, our Facebook Group enables others to post their relevant news and information. We regularly offer ‘Soap Box’ opportunities for people to share their news and views.
We are a Community Benefit Society, so everyone has their say!
NOURISH - AN ASPIRATION
We have a long-standing plan to develop a physical hub, called Nourish: a community hub where everybody can come together around food.
We envisage Nourish being a multi-functional space, a place where:
Local growers and producers can sell their products
We learn from eachother, and improve our skills
We can eat quality affordable meals and snacks, made with seasonal, locally grown food and produce
We have an outdoor area to grow veg and herbs, showcasing our Edible Bridport project
Nourishing the health of us and the planet, feeding the local economy, and the environment too.
A SUSTAINABLE FOOD PLACES NETWORK MEMBER
BFM leads Bridport’s membership of Sustainable Food Places, a national network based on partnership working on 6 core themes:
Good Food Movement: to expand public awareness of food, empowering local food citizenship and building the momentum of local good food movements.
Good Governance and Strategy: to create more inclusive and collaborative food decision-making by working closely with local authorities to deliver robust and representative food policies, strategies and action plans.
Healthy Food for All: working to ensure that all are able to access healthy and nutritious food in a dignified and equitable way.
Catering and Procurement: innovating how caterers procure food, making local supply chains more resilient and sustainable.
Sustainable Food Economy: building prosperous local food economies by supporting local food businesses to grow and develop.
Food for the Planet: tackling climate change by supporting local sustainable food production, protecting the environment and minimizing food waste.
Through the power of partnerships, we aim to make healthy and sustainable food a defining characteristic of where people live.
Bridport is focusing on building a Good Food Movement.
To address some of the additional themes, BFM works closely with the Feeding Dorset Partnership as Dorset’s Sustainable Food Places network. Our collaboration includes both planning and making presentations at Feeding Dorset events.
BRIDPORT FOOD FESTIVAL
BFM sits on the Bridport Local Food Group’s Steering Committee and has a dedicated area at the Food Festival, alongside the Young Cooks tent. BFM’s marquee is filled with activities which raise awareness about aspects of food security and sustainable food, speakers and community organisations from Dorset and beyond, and curated short film screenings.
WIDENING ENGAGEMENT
Food Security For All
BFM collaborated with HOME in Bridport to deliver Food Security For All, and Climate & Collaboration, both supported by Dorset Council. These included organising a well-attended community event to help bring the voice of the under-resourced into the conversation about Food Security, to inform local authorities and feed in to the town’s Food Security Plan, and to set a course for a way forward for developing food security over the coming years. Participating organisations including two primary schools, Social Prescribing Team, Citizens Advice Bureau, Local Food Links as well as community groups such as Food Bank, Glut Stall, Living Tree cancer charity, and community allotments. Climate and Collaboration involved community discussions as well as activities at the community allotment in Skilling, and the development of BFM’s Edible Bridport project of community-supported planters growing food for free.
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