News
December 2009
SOUTH KERRIER ALLIANCE GAINS FUNDING FOR
FARMERS’ MARKETS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
With the Alliance successfully running farmers markets in Helston, it is well placed to employ a West Cornwall Farmers’ Markets Development Officer to work throughout the west Cornwall area. The project will run for 18 months and funding has been gained through the West Cornwall Local Action Group, an EU Rural Development Programme for England programme.
The Development Officer will research what makes markets successful, how to overcome the barriers for local food producers to sell at markets and to the local catering industry and will support and advise food producers and market organisers. Recruitment for the post is currently taking place with the expectation that the project will start in January 2010.
“South Kerrier Alliance has received a grant of £60,000 from the West Cornwall Local Action Group for this project because it is helping deliver the Group’s objectives to develop the rural economy of West Cornwall through innovation and enterprise.” said Clare Leverton, Local Action Group manager.
If you are a food producer in West Cornwall and would like to get help and training for selling via farmers’ markets, or you would like more information on the project, please contact Julian Rand julianrand@yahoo.co.uk or Bryn Hackland bryn@latitude50.net
There are approximately 70 Local Action Groups across England and 15 in the south west region. For further information on West Cornwall Local Action Group please contact:
Clare Leverton
West Cornwall Local Action Group Manager
Cornwall Development Company
01209 611116
clare.leverton@cornwalldevelopmentcompany.co.uk
Rural Development Programme for England
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) runs from 2007 to 2013. It is the 2nd pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy and aims to support the creation of genuinely sustainable farming, forestry and food sectors, whilst also bringing wider benefits for the economy, the environment and rural communities. It provides the major financial vehicle for protecting and enhancing the environment and securing a range of public benefits for society. Defra is the Managing Authority.
For more information on the RDPE please contact Pat Murray at the South West RDA on 07733264756 or pat.murray@southwestrda.org.uk
August 2009
ALLOTMENT PLOTS AVAILABLE IN SOUTH KERRIER
When Darren Searle told the South Kerrier Alliance and Transition Helston joint Food Group meeting on Tuesday 28th July 2009, that his barley had been cut, the casual observer would have dismissed this as a an unimportant event. However to the 40 or so people on the waiting list for allotments at Stopgate, it was a signal that the wait was coming to an end.
The project was first launched at a meeting about food, farming and community supported agriculture arranged by South Kerrier Alliance and Transition Helston at Porthleven Public Hall in October 2008. Since then Darren has been promoting the project through the Transition Stall at the Helston Farmers’ Market and compiling a list of interested people.
On Sunday 2nd August, Darren met with the first twelve people on the waiting list to show them the marked out areas of their allotments. By the following weekend 23 allotments had been assigned and the work continues marking out plots for the all the others that are on the waiting list. Some allotment holders want to do all the preparation themselves, such as digging, and putting rabbit netting around their plots and some have chosen to get Darren to rotavate their plot for them.
Darren said "Out of the tenants that have visited the allotments to see their plots so far, there seems to be a good mix of people all keen to get stuck in and get growing. Some will be more experienced than others but that's a plus, I think, so people can learn off each other. It's early days yet but I think it will grow into a good community of people, all with similar interests.”
Because of the location of the Stopgate allotments, Darren was keen to make sure they were accessible by public transport as well as car. He has spoken to the bus company and they will be looking at the site this week and deciding where to put their bus stop signs.
As the site can provide between 70 and 80 allotments, if anyone is interested in having an allotment , they should contact Darren Searle "Stopgate Allotments" on 01326 561804 or 07770902698 or e-mail
April 2009
We are currently working on applications for funding for an employee for the Alliance so we will have more resource to develop all the projects we want to.
We have successfully bid for funding to pay our Market Controller for our Farmers’ Market for the next two years. Our controller carried out the work voluntarily last year but the market needs to be sustainable so this funding will be a significant step to enabling this to happen. It will mean we can keep stall fees low to help out our producers, especially needed in these difficult economic times.
The Alliance is also looking to adopt some policies to underpin our work such as a Child and Vulnerable Adult policy and an Equality and Diversity policy.
We now have a bank account set up. Many thanks to Kerrier District Council for being our accountable body up until this time.