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The Eastbourne Food Partnership CIC has won a top award for Eastbourne with its work to promote healthy, sustainable and local food, tackle food poverty and diet-related ill-health, the disappearance of family farms and the loss of independent food retailers.

The Sustainable Food Places Bronze Award has given national recognition of the partnership’s many projects and achievements across the borough.

Johnny Denis, Coordinator at the Eastbourne Food Partnership, said: "I am delighted for the Partnership and looking forward to building on this awesome achievement for such a new organisation."

Projects include ‘Good Food Movement’ that celebrates expertise in the community, ‘Grow a Row’ inspiring local gardeners to grow food for their local community and ‘School Food Beyond the Canteen’ that encourages a good food culture at home with parents, pupils and teachers from Shinewater Primary School.

The Eastbourne Food Partnership CIC has won a top award for Eastbourne with its work to promote healthy, sustainable and local food, tackle food poverty and diet-related ill-health, the disappearance of family farms and the loss of independent food retailers. Picture: Eastbourne Borough Council

Councillor Alan Shuttleworth, who is a member of the Eastbourne Food Partnership, said: “This award is great news and hugely deserved.

“The way different organisations, including Eastbourne Borough Council, have worked together to develop projects to bring about a greater understanding of food poverty and food sustainability, at the same time as providing practical support to achieve the aims, is a source of considerable pride.

“We must not forget that Eastbourne has its own significantly disadvantaged areas and has been recognised in having the busiest foodbank in the country.”

The Sustainable Food Places programme aims to works across six key areas:

1. Promoting healthy and sustainable food to the public2. Tackling food poverty, diet-related ill health and access to affordable healthy food3. Building community food knowledge, skills, resources and projects4. Promoting a vibrant and diverse sustainable food economy5. Transforming catering and food procurement6. Reducing waste and the ecological footprint of the food system

Leon Ballin, Sustainable Food Places Programme Manager, said: “The Eastbourne Food Partnership has helped to set a benchmark for other members of the UK Sustainable Food Places Network to follow. We look forward to working with them over the months and years ahead to continue to transform place’s food culture and food system for the better.”

Eastbourne Food Partnership wins ‘hugely deserved’ award