A complete circle

It was in somewhat different weather that I posted a blog a couple of Sundays ago to say I was heading off on the walk with the Kindling Trust.  I came home weary after an afternoon spent cycling and walking the rolling Cheshire countryside.  It was well worth it, though, to hear about their amazing work. 

Kindling Trust
They have a range of activities under the general 'Kindling' umbrella, and their overall vision is to have a farm near Manchester which sustainably supplies its community with its own produce (http://www.kindling.org.uk/home).  This is a simple vision, but in practice is difficult to implement.  That has not stopped the people involved giving their seemingly endless drive and enthusiasm to push it forward.  'What has all that got to do with the people of Lymm?'  I hear you cry!  Well as well as being a really interesting concept which we can keep an eye on as a role model for the future of all communities, they are training the next generation of growers on our doorstep as part of their Farmstart initiative.  (http://www.kindling.org.uk/farmstart)  You may aware of some of the barriers of entry to farming such as capital, and the fact that those entry barriers as well as other factors are creating a very high average age for farmers.  Farmstart is basically an incubator where would-be farmers can try it out in a supportive setting. 

Produce
I now share a small allotment with friends and it has been incredibly hard work to start up.  At some times of year growing food is very labour intensive, so Kindling again come to the rescue for the farmers:  they encourage anyone that wants to work outdoors to join their Land Army and help out the growers by giving a day of their time.  That hard work is reaping rewards.  Farmstart now successfully supply Manchester Veg People (http://www.kindling.org.uk/projects/manchester-veg-people) - another Kindling initiave which coordinates the supply and demand of some local food in Manchester. 

So basically, we visited a farming initiative on our doorstep which aims to coordinate and support the full circle of supply and demand for local food in the Manchester area.  It was quite humbling to talk to such enthusiastic people, and certainly made me more passionate about local food than ever.  We can support this work by looking out for their food at the Abbey Leys farm shop or their farmer's market.  The next market is on the first Sunday of the month as usual - Sunday 7th September.  The food you will see to buy will be any gluts they have left over from supplying Manchester Veg People.  Organic food grown just a couple of miles away...I will definitely be first in the queue for that stall!

Lisa Reid