There are some exciting opportunities to participate in some mass activities in Lewisham around food growing in Summer and/or Autumn this year as part of the Borough of Culture. There are various funding opportunities available to support these activities.
Lewisham’s Borough of Culture team has recently launched the second round of Creative Change funding for July- December of 2022 Borough of Culture Year – links as below, and also enclosed as a Word document. There will apparently be around 20-25 awards of up to £2500 each.
Two of the three main themes of We Are Lewisham / Borough of Culture Year are the calls to action on climate change and on building an inclusive society. These and the sub-theme of ‘health & well-being’ point to an opportunity for ‘greening projects that transform neglected spaces’ that is an eligible category described in the guidelines.
Further priority will be given to projects that ‘involve communities & individuals who don’t normally participate in arts & cultural activity’ and that ‘represent the diversity of the Borough and take place across all parts of the borough’.
Given the potential of food and growing projects to address all these aims and drive up the ‘mass participation’ that BoC seeks, the Borough of Culture team have started to look at possible dates for synchronised mass participation in growing or food related activities outdoors during the year, happening right across the Borough on the same dates.
Given the delivery dates of the Creative Change Fund (July – December), there is an opportunity for one or two dates in the early autumn for foraging/ harvesting and autumn planting or/and biodiversity events.
Similarly, separate from the Creative Change Fund dates, there is the opportunity to encourage outdoor participation for an early summer planting event in May and perhaps a recipe-sharing/ picnic event in June, perhaps close to or involved with the days of the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holidays (Thursday & Friday June 2nd & 3rd). The two dates and the activities are yet to be finalised, and are open to everyone’s ideas.
Lewisham Growing Network are organising their second in-person (which is likely to be hybrid for people who can’t attend in person) meeting for Wednesday March 9th at 7pm. Details to follow soon. This will provide space to discuss potential collaboration and geographical connections and spread across the Borough, as well as other topics.
However, given the deadline for the funding (16th March), if anyone wishes to join a Zoom call to discuss collaboration with regard to their Boc Creative Change or other funding bids before then, there will be a Zoom meeting at 6 pm on Thursday February 24th – Please contact cllr_mark.ingleby@lewisham.gov.uk to register.
Finally, Cllrs Ingleby, Kelleher, Howard & Openshaw have been studying the Council’s Asset Register, as part of a scrutiny study on the creative legacy of the Borough of Culture. An informal process of exploration and discussion is therefore ongoing with regard to any additional spaces that might be available for some of the BoC green events, which could point towards fresh opportunities and spaces for Lewisham residents to be involved in growing and gardening activities in the potentially more localised food economy of the very near future, post BoC… Contact cllr_mark.ingleby@lewisham.gov.uk for further details.
Here are the links for the Creative Change Fund. Workshops on the application process with the BoC team take place on February 23rd and (repeated on) March 3rd. The closing date is March 16th.
Lewisham-2022-Creative-Change-Fund-Round-2-Guidance-1.docx (live.com)
Other current funding opportunities available:
The Phoenix Community Chest fund is also supporting the same stream of work, but its deadline is WEDNESDAY MARCH 2nd, and projects have to involve Phoenix residents (mainly in the south of the Borough). https://www.phoenixch.org.uk/toolkit
There is a small grant opportunity (£150) for the BoC planting or sharing events in May and June, which may encourage groups to get involved with these activities, which coincide with Great Get Togethers: https://www.fflgettogethers.org/our-events/plant-and-share-month/ This grant opportunity is open to any organisation that hasn’t applied for a grant with a there is a short form – the criteria is that the plant and share related activity has to be registered on the Great Get Together’s website.
In addition, some small grants (up to £250) are being offered by Lewisham Local for food growing workshops and/or organising community meals/picnics focussing on activities around the May half-term and Jubilee weekend, both of which could be focused on the (TBC) specific mass participation date in each of those months. The small grants will be launched in March, and information will be available on Lewisham Local’s website. Their applications window will open in March, close by 7th of April, and successful groups will be informed the week after, so that there’s time to organise activities for May/June. You can read about activities previously funded through the 2021 Food Growing Workshops Small Grant Programme here.