Seventeen residents, all passionate about helping others, have completed a series of training sessions...
Seventeen residents, all passionate about helping others, have completed a series of training sessions with Warwickshire County Council ready to help deliver food projects across the county, and to become ambassadors for the Warwickshire Food Strategy.
A recent event, attended by eleven of the new Warwickshire Food Champions, was held at Shire Hall in Warwick to welcome the residents into their new volunteer roles. Representatives from the Council were also in attendance at the event to thank the residents in person for volunteering their time to this initiative, and to present each resident with certificates for completing the training.
The training sessions were delivered by expert speakers and discussed a wide range of topics including cooking on a budget, food hygiene, food and public health, and community food growing.
The aim of the training was to help the new Warwickshire Food Champions know how best to support food-related projects with their local communities, and to equip other people with the 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 support key priorities outlined in the Warwickshire Food Strategy 2023-26, 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. For residents in need of food or other cost-of-living support, visit www.costoflivingwarwickshire.co.uk.
Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said:
“It was a pleasure to meet with the new Warwickshire Food Champions and to hear about their plans for supporting food-related projects in their local areas. Engagement with communities is an important part of our strategy to reduce food insecurity and to promote healthier diets across the county which are affordable and sustainable.
“The Warwickshire Food Champions initiative will provide a great opportunity for us to engage and share ideas with residents in a new way, and we hope to open another round of recruitment to encourage even more volunteer Warwickshire Food Champions to get involved in the near future.”
Warwickshire County Council first introduced the Warwickshire Food Champions initiative in November 2023, to support the wider work of the Warwickshire Food Strategy 2023-26 which has been developed by the Warwickshire Food Forum partnership.
The Strategy focuses on providing better access to affordable and healthy food, raising awareness and education about healthy food choices and promoting sustainable food to help reduce carbon emissions and support biodiversity.
To learn more, visit the Warwickshire Food Strategy webpages on SearchOut Warwickshire.
For more information about becoming a Warwickshire Food Champion, please contact Mike Slemensek at mikeslemensek@warwickshire.gov.uk.