Since our teaching kitchen was built in September 2006 GFM has taught many children and young people and their accompanying adults, carers, parents and teachers in Croydon, how to cook for health. Our young students include those in care, leaving care, young carers, young homeless, young refugees, young offenders and those at risk of offending, young people with learning difficulties including autism and those not in education, employment or training (NEET). During this development period we have been constantly aware that although students gain skills and a great sense of achievement as well as an understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet, most are on low to very low incomes, do not have access to affordable healthy food and many are at risk of becoming isolated from their community. After each short course our students go and all at GFM know that they need much more then we are able to give at present. All our target groups, and other marginalized groups we will work with in the proposed centre, want to be part of our society and involved with their community in a positive way and feel of value. Because of this, over the last 18 months, Good Food Matters has devoted much volunteer time in promoting our new, much more ambitious project, which is to build a Community Food Learning Centre. The centre we visualize would not only provide access to affordable healthy food to the local community but would educate and train people to grow, cook and market organic food and enable our target groups and their families to achieve more positive long-term outcomes that, through knowledge, training and working with and for their community, will pave the way for them to have better prospects in life. Even though we are a very small charity at present we have had fantastic support from Croydon Council and Croydon PCT as well as from businesses and third sector organisations in the community. We have many letters of endorsement that have helped with our fundraising. The proposed centre will teach people of all ages and abilities and backgrounds how to grow, cook and market organic food; benefiting their physical and mental health and contributing enormously to community cohesion. Through the Community Volunteering Involvement Programme; the Youth Initiative Scheme and other projects set up to support the involvement of the entire community, we will offer accredited and basic cookery and horticulture courses to educate and train local people in sustainable food production; helping people to think global and act local (such as recycling waste/ beekeeping/ planting and tending an orchard; and promoting the value of affordable, local food to schools, hospitals, voluntary organisations and local businesses. Our youth are our future and we will involve them, with help from the head of the Integrated Youth Support, Croydon Council, in the building of the project and encourage them to become involved with the running of the centre. In 2012 we aim to have a community shop and run a box scheme. We will have a performance area to encourage creativity and innovation and people from different backgrounds, abilities and ages will be able to attend quarterly meetings to become more involved in the running of the centre, pooling knowledge to build a more inclusive, cohesive and stronger community After much research and partnership development Croydon Council has given us permission to build the project on 5,000 sq meters of green space in New Addington, on the borders of Fieldway (two of the most deprived wards in Croydon). They have a combined population of nearly 23,000, a higher then the national average of social housing and unemployed people with little or no skills and a high percentage of NEET young people (not in education, employment or training). Fieldway has double the national average of teenage pregnancies and its mortality rate from chronic diseases is 20% higher then the rest of the borough. We have already had in-kind support of £96K from companies including Mansell Construction, Neff and Magnet and Croydon Economic Development Company. Tudor Trust has committed £75K toward the capital build. We are progressing well with our application to BLF Local Food (£300K) who visited the site early March - decision mid May 2010. After discussions we are in the process of applying to Henry Smith Charity to help towards capital build. We have also discussed the project with a number of potential funders who will consider revenue support over two years until we are sustainable. We hope to start building mid autumn 2010. To view plans of the site and teaching building (plans are in-kind support from Geraghty Taylor Architects, Croydon) please see our website www.goodfoodmatters.org.uk. We will keep you informed regarding our bids. We have a comprehensive business plan so if you would like to know more please contact evelyn@goodfoodmatters.co.uk 020 8240 1121 Mob: 07951 523 109.