Enterprising Projects

Seven projects are taking part in the 'Fresh Ideas in Business' mentoring and support programme launched in March 2010. These inspirational projects come from across the south east, and have a range of enterprising plans.

The Projects:

• 5 a Day Market Garden, Reading, Berkshire.
• The Veg Van, Fruit and Vegetable Delivery, The Bio-Regional Development Group, Sutton, Surrey.
• Community Catering and Training, with the Aylesbury Healthy Living Centre, Buckinghamshire.
• Community Café and Cookery Project, Esher, Surrey.
• Food for The Mind, Event Catering and Veg Box Scheme, Southwick, West Sussex.
• Eatwells Café, Community café and outside catering, Barton Community Association, Oxfordshire.
• Café BLISS , Community Café and Health Resource, Southborough, Kent.

All the projects aim to offer their local communities access to local, healthy and sustainably sourced food and fresh produce. Some of the projects are already developing a range of learning, training and volunteering opportunities for local people and different groups and the others are in the process of exploring similar approaches.

The Programme

Fresh Ideas in Business offers the participants a tailor made and flexible menu of 10 days mentoring and support, over a 5 month period from March to July 2010. The programme menu includes visits to other social enterprises, training and specialist advice. The mentors taking part in the programme come from a range of professional and business backgrounds and are offering support, advice and guidance on a 1 to 1 basis.

All the projects who applied for a place on the programme reflected the great commitment, passion and energy of those people who are taking forward projects and initiatives within the community food sector in the south east. We hope that the learning and resources that come out of the project can benefit others involved in developing community food enterprises.