How do you sum up the work of a Food Partnership?
Partnership working can be notoriously slippery to define, given that it involves working across sectors, at different levels and scales. Within the world of food, this means recognising that food can be a tool for positive change – a powerful way to improve health and wellbeing; act on the nature and climate emergency; address inequalities; and creating lasting community connections.
But food is a complex topic, with food systems impacted by (and impacting) our environmental, political, economic, and social worlds. Our work embraces all this complexity and messiness, and tries to bring people together across these different areas and sectors of society with the knowledge that this approach paves the way for lasting and meaningful change.
However – it does make summarising your year rather complex, when one day might involve writing a 5-year long food strategy, and another creating easy-to-follow cookery reels. That’s why, below, we present our last year in numbers, to give you a whistle-stop tour of what we got up to in 2024. You can also read our brief Impact Report from 2024.
1 new 5-year citywide food strategy was written – which we’re excited to release in 2025
2 new compost tumblers were installed in community locations
4 regular gardening groups at Stanmer Wellbeing Gardens, Saunders Park, Preston Park Demo Garden, and our dementia-friendly garden, continue to provide spaces for connection and
4 podcast episodes were released as part of our pilot podcast, Savouring Change
5 years have been spent coordinating the Green Wellbeing Alliance, a network that of small nature and wellbeing organisations across Brighton, Hove, East, and West Sussex, with funding from Brighton & Hove City Council.
7 local primary schools visited our Community Kitchen for an afternoon of cooking, eating, and learning how to be ‘food waste champions’
9 food projects were supported by our joint fundraising campaign with Citizen’s Advice Bureau
9 board members volunteer their time with us, helping with our visioning and strategy
10 partners are involved in the Changing Chalk project, which aims to reverse the decline of the chalk grassland surrounding Brighton & Hove whilst connecting local communities to the landscape on their doorstep. We deliver the ‘Growing New Roots’ nature-connection group as part of this.
11 local farms and land projects were visited by 329 people using food banks and community shops as part of the Soil in the City project
11 in-person evening classes were held for the fully-booked course ‘From Farm to Fork: An Introduction to Food Systems’, with speakers ranging from local campaigners the Compost Club to researchers such as Tim Laing.
11 community engagement events were held as part of the Food Use Places project to foster food waste awareness – attended by 596 people
13 community ‘plots’ have their home at Stanmer Wellbeing Gardens, a site run by us. These range from forest schools to community gardens.
16 community organisations are part of the Food Use Places partnership led by us, which works together to reduce food + packaging waste and inspire climate-positive action
17 different topics were covered in our community cookery classes, from batch cooking and make your own takeaway to Indian and Thai cookery
18 schools were involved in our FoodSOS campaign, collecting food and toiletries donations for the city’s Emergency Food Network
24 participants representing local farmers, procurers, and community institutions attended 3 focus groups. These explored the potential of a twinning project connecting farmers with schools via educational visits and locally-produced food getting piloted in canteens.
32 action points were written into the new food strategy to help steer us towards building a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable food system for Brighton & Hove
48 food projects make up the Emergency Food Network
54 community composting schemes bring together households across the city who want to create nutrient-rich compost from their food waste
55 birthday celebrations took place under the woodland canopy of our Stanmer Wellbeing Garden
58% of people using emergency food services reported doing so indefinitely
63% of attendees to our 5-week long cooking courses reported feeling happier after attending, and 73% of participants to the same course reported feeling more connected
70% of attendees to our gardening groups reported socialising more after attending more, and 95% of participants reported improved wellbeing
97 refugees and asylum seekers attended ‘Refugee Cook Up’ sessions at the Community Kitchen, cooking together and sharing dishes and stories from their local cuisines
126 community cookery sessions took place in the Community Kitchen
200 people moving into studies, work, or volunteering after getting involved in the Green Wellbeing Alliance in the last year
222 meat box orders were delivered through our Sussex Grazed programme, supporting sustainable grazing and local farmers.
250 members of the public and experts were consulted on their priorities for the upcoming citywide Food Strategy
269 amazing volunteers supported us delivering our gardening, cooking, and composting projects
290 primary school children attended 3 weeks of classes linked to curriculum learning
400 hedgerow trees were planted to improve biodiversity and soil fertility at Stanmer Wellbeing Gardens
490 events were hosted at the Wellbeing Gardens, from wreath-making workshops to therapy group meet-ups.
596 people attended community engagement events as part of the Food Use Places project
770 wheelie bins – equivalent to 185 tonnes worth of food waste – were diverted from incineration
1000+ people have visited the Clubhouse for events ranging from farming conferences and away days to yoga and queer wellbeing retreats
1100 households are part of our community composting schemes
1120 adults and children took part in Community Cookery classes
3400 volunteer hours were contributed weekly to food projects and surplus food distribution
6000 people read our newsletter per month
11,800 hours were logged by our wonderful volunteers
£13,428 to help pay for fuel and food was raised in our joint fundraising campaign with Citizen’s Advice Bureau
115,000 people visit our website every year – 12,000 of which access information about Emergency Food Services across the city
Of course, numbers and stats can never convey the full reality of a year as a Food Partnership. The smells of cooking, the feel of compost between your fingers, and the sounds of the stories, lives, and experiences that are intertwined with any work to do with food don’t sit easily in numbers. To find out more about the stories behind the figures and how we had impact as Food Partnership last year, read our 2024 Impact Report.