April 2026 Newsletter

nikkidravers • May 5, 2026

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Hello Gateshead Food Partnership members,

 

I hope you all enjoyed a bank holiday weekend. Here is your news from across Gateshead Food Partnership for the month of April: sorry it’s a few days into May already!

 

  1. Spotlight on… every month we shine a spotlight on a project or group who are working towards the aims of our Gateshead Food Charter, to raise awareness and champion our local community organisations and to inspire opportunities for partnership working.

This month’s spotlight is on NEDES (North East Diversity, Education and Solidarity), who do all sorts of activities with refugee, asylum‑seeking and migrant families in Gateshead. Last year NEDES used our UKSPF Community Food Projects grant funding to put on multiple and diverse occasions to learn, cook, and eat together. The project used practical cooking sessions to talk about everyday food challenges such as cooking healthy meals on a budget, planning ahead, storing food properly, eating more plants, and making the most of leftovers. Everything was hands‑on and rooted in foods people use at home, with lots of space for sharing recipes, tips and experiences. Overall, NEDES’ project is a great example of the power of food to bring people together across cultural divides, make people feel welcome, support dignity, and show how environmental sustainability messages land best when rooted in real life.

Families who attended the events said they felt more confident wasting less food, saving money and preparing meals their children enjoy. Just as important, the sessions created time to connect, chat and feel part of something: food as a way into wellbeing, dignity and belonging.

A case study NEDES reported was a mother who had recently settled in Gateshead: “She told us that before joining the sessions she often bought food without a clear plan and sometimes wasted fresh items because she was unsure how to store or reuse them. Through the project she learned simple meal planning, batch cooking and leftover ideas linked to foods her family already used. She said this helped her reduce waste, save money and feel more confident preparing healthy meals for her children.”

 



  1. News and offers from Food Partnership members
  • Bensham Court have recently launched their new community garden! We’re so pleased to see the garden in action growing herbs, vegetables and other plants, supported by Herb Hub and Good Natured. As it says in this press release, it is strengthening community in Bensham, creating a shared space that encourages collaboration, improves wellbeing, and celebrates the power of local ideas. More on Facebook here.  
  • Gibside Community Farm are busy on the fields at this time of year! They’re looking for more volunteers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and you can subscribe to their lovely organic veg boxes via their new website: Gibside Community Farm | Sustainable organic farming & community in the North East 
  • The Hop Garden in High Spen is a haven of biodiversity, a peaceful place where you can learn so much about nature-friendly gardening. Sarah has completely transformed the site over the past 17 years from an overgrown field to a foest garden: see the pictures below. Sarah has decided to hand over the lease of the site to Than, Claire, and Simone from Nourish the Wild: More on this news here. The Hop Garden are running their annual plant swap on 31st May – get yourselves to High Spen to see the garden and swap some plants! Community Plant Swap | Facebook



  • Organic Food Growing course

Nourish the Wild Nourish the Wild is running a seven week organic food growing course at the Hop Garden between May and June again this year: there are still places available. The course is a mix of theory and practice, modelled on an accredited qualification taking you through all of the key foundations of organic growing. I (Nikki) did the course last year and can highly recommend – Than is the fount of all knowledge and passion for organic and nature-friendly food growing.

Alongside practical skills and knowledge, the course weaves in permaculture principles, ecology, botany and the politics of food. It is intended to inspire self-sufficiency, community resilience and food system change. Email Than if you have any queries. He is also keen for feedback about other days/times/formats that would work better for people if you can’t make this course. Than does have some concessionary places available if cost is a barrier. Book here: Organic Food Growing Course - West Gateshead Tickets, Friday 8 May • 10 AM - 1:30 PM | Eventbrite

  • Food Hygiene training for Kurdish and Farsi speaking volunteers

The team at St Chad's Community Project are organising some food hygiene training session with in-person interpretation into Kurdish and Farsi. The sessions will take place in either June or July, and placed will be limited in line with funding. To give us a better sense of numbers, if anyone at your organisations would be interested in taking part in these sessions, please email Hafsa on hafsa@stchadscommunityproject.org to register interest.

 

 

  1. Upcoming events
  • Thursday 7th May: Green Heart Collective are hosting an ‘Alt Met Gala’ this Thursday: sounds like lots of creative fun. Green Heart Collective - curated preloved fashion, wellbeing and media
  • Saturday 9th May: The Late Shows are returning to Gateshead this Saturday. Gateshead Central Library will be showcasing ‘the power of plants’ with creative hands-on activities and things to take home, including Herb Hub herb bags and dehydrated fruit goodies from REfUSE. Pop along and say hello between 6pm-10pm! The Power of Plants! - Gateshead Council
  • Tuesday 12th May: Our Culture and Food: Small Changes for Better Wellbeing 10:30am - 12:30pm, Unit 12, Interchange Centre, West Street, Gateshead, NE8 1BH. Join Newfound (formerly Tyneside Women’s Health), Connected Voice Haref and Dr Sophia Amenyah from Northumbria University for Our Culture and Food: Small Changes for Better Wellbeing: learn practical tips on healthier cooking using cultural foods without losing the flavours you love. All women are welcome, light refreshments will be provided. To register your interest, contact Newfound on 01914 777898 or enquiries@tynesidewomenshealth.org.uk
  • From 19th May: Bensham Bites are hosting a series of workshops, from how to grow on your windowsills to learning about seed sovereignty. More info on poster attached, and here: Bensham Bites Tickets, Multiple dates | Eventbrite
  • 31st May: Hop Garden Community Plant Swap Community Plant Swap | Facebook
  • SAVE THE DATE: Friday 3rd July, Feeding Britain’s annual in-person network event is coming to the North East! This year it will be entitled “Beyond Foodbanks” and will be an opportunity to both showcase the plethora of work going on in the north east, and to hear from others around the country about what we can do in policy, in practice, and in research, to see an end to the need for food banks. It would be great if Gateshead organisations and public sector leaders can attend. More details to follow but for now please save the date: Friday 3rd July.

 

 

  1. From Food Aid to Food Justice and Resilience

Our shared vision, the first statement in the Gateshead Food Charter, is that Gateshead becomes a place where everyone has access to healthy, nutritious, and affordable food, moving from reliance on food aid to food justice and resilience.

We were ahead of the curve: this vision is reflected in the new guidelines and criteria set out in the government’s Crisis and Resilience Funding: to “end the mass dependence on emergency food parcels”; and Gateshead’s new ‘Tackling Poverty Together’ strategy begins with the agreement from all partners that we want to rebalance what up to now has been ‘crisis response’ and find more sustainable solutions to address the root causes of poverty. (Find out more and have your say here).

Members of Gateshead Food Partnership across the borough have been exploring ways to help build initiatives that are part of ‘capacity building’ in our communities: places that build friendships, confidence, skills, a sense of belonging and agency, as well as providing nutritious and culturally appropriate food in an affordable and accessible way. We were lucky to be able to give out around £65,000 of grant funding from the UK Government to projects across Gateshead with this aim. Last week, 50 representatives gathered at the ONE Centre in Pelaw and many of those who received funding last year were able to tell the stories of their projects. From huge and vibrant community cooking sessions and meals for diverse cultures and communities run by NEDES and Hope Beyond Borders, to peer support at Peace of Mind for parents of refugee and asylum-seeking children with autism and neurodiversity who face multiple barriers to eating nutritious food. From St Chad’s community market with its co-operative pricing model, to folk in Chopwell asking ‘Can Chopwell Feed Itself?’ and launching a series of food growing initiatives including a new community allotment and new planters full of herbs placed around the village. experimental and accessible recipe-making from herbs you can grow on your windowsill. It was inspiring to hear all about these projects, it certainly gave me a feeling of hope seeing how much good work, resilience, innovation, and community spirit there is in Gateshead. Thank you to all involved.

 

Crisis and Resilience Funding

Please find attached the presentation given at the event about Crisis and Resilience Funding: this sets out general information on CRF and the proposed approach from Gateshead Council to deliver the DWP required outcomes. However please note that the delivery plan and spend profile has not yet been fully signed off and therefore is subject to change.

 

We’re launching a new network: a food partnership working group that is specifically focussed on this first aim of the food charter. Feeding Families will host the network, which for now we are calling a ‘Food Justice Network’ but we’d love for the name, as well as the terms of reference and specific objectives, to be set by the people who are part of it. We’re looking for people to join this working group to help build a stronger collective voice, work together across Gateshead organisations to share practical solutions, improve quality of food offered, and support more sustainable models. If you would like to be part of this network, please email Wayne wayne@feedingfamilies.org.uk.

 

Feeding Families Regional Food Hub

Across Gateshead and the wider North East, organisations continue to work tirelessly to meet the needs of their communities while managing stretched budgets, limited capacity, and complex systems. The Regional Food Hub is designed to make food provision more efficient and sustainable. By offering wholesale-priced food, simple ordering, and free delivery through our warehouse and logistics network, it enables community organisations to stretch budgets further and support more people - “you order, we source, we deliver.” Find out more: www.feedingfamilies.org.uk/regional-food-hub

 

  1. Jobs

Feeding Families are recruiting for two new part-time roles:

  • Food Justice Network & Projects Lead (25 hours) – a hands-on role leading the development of the Gateshead Food Justice Network, bringing partners together, coordinating activity, and turning collaboration into tangible improvements in local food provision.
  • Trusts & Partnerships Manager (27 hours) – responsible for growing and sustaining our funding pipeline, securing £200k–£300k annually through trusts and foundations, and building strong, strategic relationships that underpin our long-term impact.

Both roles are central to building a more coordinated, resilient, and dignified approach to food support across the region. You can view these opportunities and more on our Work With Us page:
 www.feedingfamilies.org.uk/work-with-us

 

  1. Get involved: Food events in Gateshead Town Centre – Sunday 2nd August

Gateshead Council are hosting a food festival event on Sunday 2nd August across Gateshead town centre: including a Community Cook-off, hot food stalls, children’s activities, and a cookery demo stage. They are inviting organisations and community groups to get involved, it would be GREAT if some of our Food Partnership members could showcase and share their expertise on cooking nutritious food that celebrates plants, diverse tastes and cultures, and boosts health.

Community Cook Off – Railway Quarter
A friendly BBQ cook‑off where community groups can enter a team of 6 (12 teams in total). Food, charcoal BBQs and all equipment are provided. The event will run roughly 10am–4pm and will also include music and family activities. This is being jointly hosted by Gateshead Council Community Safety, the Town Centre Manager and Northumbria Police. Complete the expression of interest form here. Gateshead Food event - Expression of Interest

Food stalls and cookery demonstrations – Trinity Square

I’ve committed Gateshead Food Partnership to take on activities in Trinity Square: the proposal is a cookery demonstration stage and a rota of workshops a bit like we ran at the From Gardens to Gatherings event in Saltwell Park last year. Please get in touch with me – NikkiDravers@gateshead.gov.uk if you are interested in being on stage doing a cooking demo, running a workshop, or selling a product.

 

  1. What to read/listen to

Podcasts:

 

Reports:

  • In case you missed last month’s newsletter, I highly recommend Feeding Britain’s “Feeding Resilience” report; and I really recommend this excellent report if you run a ‘foodbank’-type project: Harry has written this report as a ‘food banker’, and he suggests some helpful things you could consider for your organisation.
  • Along similar themes, Megan Blake’s report: Building Resilience_ The Role of Food Clubs in UK Food SecurityFull Report v4C (1)
  • For the academically-minded amongst us (who have the mental resilience to hear the anxiety-inducing realities): Root and Reason (formerly AFN+) has been reporting a lot on the UK’s food system resilience, most recently showing how critical out food system is to the solvency of our national and global economy. In the latest resilience webinar, Professor Aled Jones of Anglia Ruskin University discussed how even a modest drop in global food production of 5 to 8 per cent can send prices spiralling by 300 to 500%, with cascading effects on corporate bonds, government debt and political stability. See their Roadmap for Resilience for what they suggest needs to happen across sectors, with urgency. 
  • These resources from IFAN and Trussell are good food for thought: How to end the need for food banks ; Cash First pathway, Cash First illustration

 

That’s it from me this month: as always, pleas be in touch if you have anything to share, any ideas, needs, thoughts, or stories about how we can work together towards our Gateshead Food Charter vision.

 

Best wishes

 

Nikki