Latest News & Developments

Extension to support rural online markets for local food

FEL is delighted to announce it has been awarded additional funding from the LEADER Cooperation Fund for an extension of our project between April and August 2021. FEL will be funded to offer support to markets in Borders, Fife, Forth Valley & Lomond, Perth & Kinross, but all NeighbourFood hosts, or those considering launching their own market, anywhere in Scotland are very welcome to all but one-to-one sessions.

Help us tailor the additional support we aim to provide by completing our short survey on your needs and ideas

We believe that thanks to the hard work, enthusiasm and fresh ideas of hosts in the network, NeighbourFood markets provide tangible benefits across civic society. They make climate action on food possible at the click of a finger; they re-connect people and food – improving our relationship with it to reduce waste; and they provide fair routes to market for small producers, saving them time and money. 

The project, to bring more local food to local plates, also meets a number of Scottish Government’s strategic objectives including the 20-minute neighbourhoods, low carbon economy, digital connectivity and adoption of digital tools, green recovery, just transition, and active travel agendas.

To have achieved so much in under two years is incredible. Brilliant work, everyone!

What support can you expect from FEL to help ongoing development of your markets?

• Weekly host meet-up (online)

Meet-ups will take one topic that has been put forward by the group, or suggested by FEL, to discuss together. FEL may not have the answer, but we hope by putting all of our heads together, we can find ways forward. There will be time for open conversation.

• Monthly Producer social (online) 

Casual conversations at collections have been a rich source of collaboration, fresh ideas and logistics sharing for producers in the past. We will organise a social for producers to meet and chat, while meeting physically at collections is still not possible.

• Speakers to share knowledge

We aim to invite 3^rd party speakers to join us occasionally to help peer-to-peer learning, based on needs identified by the group.

• Update training modules

Our Training modules were written two years ago. A lot has been learned and has happened since. Let us know what you feel newcomers might find useful to know that’s not already covered, based on your experience and we’ll plug the gaps.

• One-to-one development planning sessions

We offer markets in each funded region up to two one-to-one sessions with FEL. These bespoke sessions will be based on hosts’ needs, for example creating a marketing plan, training volunteers, developing a business plan, expanding their offers, income generation.

• Enhanced PR and marketing support

We will work with hosts to develop content to raise awareness of your markets in local and national media. Content may include news, seasonal recipes or blogs for example, and we’ll support this to be shared in local press, radio, and other media such as podcasts or live streams.

• Podcasts and case studies

We will continue to develop the Grow & Tell Podcast series to highlight the value of NeighbourFood markets to different audiences. And together with hosts aim to develop a case study in each region showcasing various positive outcomes online markets have created.

• Annual Gathering

We will put on a third annual gathering – likely to be a one-day programme of workshops and discussion to be delivered online.

We are so excited to continue to support you in your amazing work for a few months more. Please keep us posted on your news and we look forward to getting in touch with you all to book in sessions to discuss your ideas and help with development plans.