Residents who are passionate about helping others are invited to get involved this year in a new volunteering opportunity to become Food Champions across Warwickshire.
As a Food Champion volunteer, individuals will get to work with local groups and communities to equip people with the right knowledge about how to eat more healthily, in a way that is affordable, and that contributes to the environment in more sustainable ways.
The work of the volunteers will also support key priorities outlined in the Warwickshire Food Strategy 2023-2026, which has been developed by the Warwickshire Food Forum to ensure there is a supply of good quality, healthy, and affordable food available for everyone across the County.
The opportunity is recommended for those who enjoy helping others, working with other people by sharing knowledge and ideas, and are eager to take on a meaningful challenge. No specific dietary expertise or formal qualifications are required. However, volunteers will be expected to provide guidance to community groups on key aspects of the Warwickshire Food Strategy and to support the main aims of this work.
To equip all volunteers with the necessary tools and knowledge, free online training sessions will be provided in January and February on a range of topics. These will cover ‘Kind Communities Kind Food’, a County Council-led community engagement programme that provides live cooking demonstrations and information about how to adopt healthier lifestyles as well as other food-related community support.
The training sessions will be held online on the following dates:
- Session one on 24 January, 7-9pm. A welcome introduction to becoming a Warwickshire Food Champion, and an overview of the Public Health challenges faced in Warwickshire related to diet and food inequalities.
- Session two on 31 January, 7-9pm. What forms the basis of a healthy and sustainable diet, and how to understand ultra-processed foods, food pricing and labelling, types of diet, food safety and key legislation.
- Session three on 7 February, 7-9pm. Find out how people can learn to cook and grow their own food, including low-cost cooking, healthy approaches, reducing food waste, and community approaches to food sharing.
- Session four on 21 February, 7-9pm. This will be all about food and the environment, covering the impact of food supply systems on climate change and how this can be reduced, as well as key approaches to living healthily and self-awareness. A summary of the course will complete this series of four sessions.
- Session for students on 28 February 7-8:30pm. This session is for students who have completed some, or all, of the four sessions and wish to go on to become Warwickshire Food Champions. This session will cover how to become actively involved and how to find out about future meeting dates.
If you would like to find out more, ask questions, or catch-up on any missed sessions, please contact Mike Slemensek at mikeslemensek@warwickshire.gov.uk.
Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said:
"Volunteers are the heart of our local communities, delivering positive impacts to people, local businesses, and the environment. As we navigate the challenges faced by the rising costs of living, the delivery of Warwickshire's Food Strategy to help people make affordable, healthy, and sustainable food choices has never been more important.
“If you are looking for new opportunities this year to help others, then I encourage you to join our free training sessions in January and February to become a Warwickshire Food Champion. Together, we can promote healthy food and well-being changes that are accessible and affordable to all and make a positive difference to Warwickshire’s local communities."
The volunteers will contribute towards the wider work of the Warwickshire Food Strategy 2023-26, which has been developed by the Warwickshire Food Forum partnership. The Strategy focuses on taking action against food poverty, and being able to make good quality, healthy and affordable food available for all across the County. To achieve this, the County Council is working with agencies and organisations from across the public, private, voluntary and community sectors to further develop the Strategy’s Delivery Plan. The aim of this plan includes:
- Reducing food poverty and resulting ill-health;
- Promoting local and sustainable food; and
- Decreasing food waste and greenhouse gases related to our food system.
For more information about the Warwickshire Food Strategy 2023-26, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/warwickshirefoodstrategy
For cost-of-living support, visit www.costoflivingwarwickshire.co.uk