A new Food Justice Programme Manager will start in post this month to support the delivery of Lewisham’s Food Justice Action Plan. This is a joint role between Lewisham Council and Lewisham Local which will build on Lewisham Local’s existing work of Community Food Justice Grants and the Good Food Lewisham programme. Simone Riddle is the new Food Justice Programme Manager and over the next 18 months she will co-ordinate activity across Lewisham to implement action across the four overarching priorities within the Food Justice Action Plan:
Focus Area 1: Take preventative action to reduce the risk of Lewisham residents experiencing food injustice
Focus Area 2: Ensure babies, children and young people have access to nutritious and sustainable sources of food throughout the year
Focus Area 3: Co-ordinate resources, capacity and expertise to maximise the support available to those in crisis
Focus Area 4: Developing Money First approaches to crisis prevention and support
This will also include supporting the establishment of the Lewisham Food Justice Alliance. This group will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the plan, co-ordinating actions, identifying opportunities for collaboration, avoiding duplication and seeking solutions to any challenges. The Alliance will also identify ways in which the overall impact of action on Food Justice in Lewisham can be measured.
The initial focus of the programme will include:
Tracking what progress has been made against the actions since the plan was written and launched in April 2023
Forming a Food Justice Action Alliance and Steering Group to support to delivery of the Action Plan. This will include inviting all stakeholders and partners to attend a meeting to find out how they can get involved
Linking work into the wider Good Food Lewisham programme.
If you have an interest in Lewisham’s Food Justice Action Plan and would like to stay connected please email simone@lewishamlocal.com. There will be a meeting about the Food Justice Action Alliance on Thursday 19th of October 12.30-2.30pm which will be an opportunity to get involved with the Alliance and support the delivery of the action plan.