We are excited to be kicking off the second Arun & Chichester Good Food Fortnight later this month. We host the Fortnight to spotlight the brilliant work that is going on in our communities to promote access to good food for all – so we are bringing you a series of features on our participants who not only are organising events for the Good Food Fortnight but are doing incredible work all year round.
We are starting with a fairly new project – the Littlehampton Community Growers.
The Littlehampton Community Growers came from the passion of local resident Marisa Mendes, who got involved with a wider project that originally came from the Food Partnership to boost community participation in food growing across multiple sites starting back in 2023.
Marisa had the idea to create a brand new community orchard and has worked hard to gain the permissions, resources and volunteers to do so, planting a mix of apple, pear and plum trees earlier this year in the Littlehampton Town Council Allotment site in Worthing Road.
The group also grow on two community allotment plots including wheelchair-accessible raised beds, meeting regularly most Saturday mornings. Additionally they started holding sessions on the Maltravers Community Orchard in Littlehampton. Marisa also volunteers at Turning Tides’ homelessness charity’s growing space and at a local primary school in Arundel to engage children with growing food.
We caught up with Marisa at the Littlehampton Town Show on 13th September –
How are you involved in the Good Food Fortnight this year?
The group is involved in a few different activities– we have the Harvest Celebration Picnic at the Worthing Road allotment site on Saturday 27th September 11am – 1pm. We are inviting the community to bring along a dish made with produce they have grown, either individually or as part of the growing group. We are asking people to sign up using the link here so we know how many to expect.
I am also helping out at Turning Tides gardening workshops on Tuesday 30th September 1pm – 3pm which is open to anyone to drop in and harvest produce ready for cooking the next day (Turning Tides Hub, Littlehampton United Reformed Church, 1 High Street – BN17 5EG).
Another activity I am running is a microgreens workshop at Creative Heart (42 Beach Road – BN17 5HT) on Wednesday 8th October 1pm – 3pm – again it is open to anyone to drop in for free and plant some greens to grow on their windowsill – no garden required.
We have just received permission to hold an Apple Day at Maltravers Community Orchard on Saturday 4th October 12 – 3pm (Maltravers Rd, Littlehampton BN17 5EZ). Please bring your own apples for pressing.
Why did you want to be involved in the Good Food Fortnight?
It is so important to promote good food – it is simply a no-brainer to combine community and healthy eating – it is all positive.
We really hope it will encourage more people to give food growing a try – it is a great opportunity to spread the word about the movement and how important it is. Growing your own food isn’t just healthy, it is a fun activity that is great for your mental health. It is so exciting to see things grow from a seed into a vegetable – I really get a thrill out of that and want to share it with the community.
How can people get involved in your work all year round?
The best thing to do for now is to email us at littlehamptoncommunitygrowers@gmail.com. We are looking into how best to communicate with the group – keep an eye on Arun Community Growers Facebook managed by the Food Partnership for updates.
What, if anything would you like to see change with our local or national food systems, and how can we work towards this as a partnership?
We need to move away from mass production and artificial food. There needs to be a culture shift towards seasonal, local produce and small scale food production. We have to learn that it is OK to not have everything available all year round.
It is a major challenge but the key is for me to start small – starting with your neighbour, your community, then your wider region. Local authorities need to get on board in supporting grassroots movements. We would love to see more people giving food growing a try – our project is all about helping individuals and communities feel more connected to where their food comes from and that’s where change can begin.
Thank you so much to Marisa for taking the time to talk to us and for everything she does to bring people together to improve access to healthy food in the community. Be sure to check out some of the brilliant events over the next few weeks and perhaps you will discover a new hobby or enjoy sharing your skills with a friendly group whilst improving your local community.
