Local food alliance forms to tackle food poverty

A Blackburn with Darwen food alliance is set to launch soon with the primary aim of tackling food poverty in the borough.

The BwD Food Alliance is a movement which aims to bring together those who are interested in food – from those providing food to others in crisis to those seeking a healthier diet; from people who grow food to those responsible for producing strategies which support health and wellbeing.

The formation of a local food alliance was one of the key commitments Blackburn with Darwen Council made when joining forces with Blackburn with Darwen’s Clinical Commissioning Group to sign a joint healthy weight declaration as part of its three-year strategy to encourage residents to move more, eat well and maintain a healthy weight.

The launch event for the food alliance will form part of a wider conference led by Together Lancashire and the Council. ‘It’s a Poor Do – fighting against child poverty in BwD’ will be held on Wednesday, October 24 at Ewood Park, Blackburn.

Aimed at elected members, health professionals as well as any organisation which provides food to those in need, this conference continues the Council and Together Lancashire’s commitment to addressing child poverty.

At the conference Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health for Blackburn with Darwen Council, will lead several speakers during the course of the morning.  At lunchtime, a panel will address the issues and encourage responses to child and food poverty. This will be followed by an afternoon session to explore how people can be helped to cook more healthy meals, especially when money and time is tight.

A BwD Food Alliance website has been launched and you can book a free place on the course online or by emailing: gillian.beeley@together-lancashire.org.uk

Councillor Brian Taylor, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:

The BwD Food Alliance is a fantastic step forward in our fight to end food poverty. Children only have one childhood and we have to make it as healthy as possible. Access to good food is fundamental.

Gill Beeley, Food Alliance lead, said:

The Alliance is giving a voice to those who experience food poverty – two campaigns #DarwengetsHangry and #BlackburngetsHangry will be launched which will be lead by young people in the borough – we need to listen and respond.

The Alliance is funded in part by Food Power whose aim is to tackle food poverty by people powered change.

Ben Pearson, the organisation’s lead in Blackburn with Darwen, said:

Sharing our experiences of food poverty means that we can understand barriers to healthier eating, access to good food, and challenge perceptions and the many myths about poverty.