The Knowledge Spa of Growing Links CIC.
A research resource for all of our stakeholders and anybody interested in the complexity and importance of community based sustainable food systems.
Growing Links is part of the wider community working hard to bring locally produced, affordable, sustainable, healthy food for all.
The intention of the website is to generate discussion and action by communities far and wide.
Inspiration in Penzance
Community Based Sustainable Food Systems
Growing Links CIC has been connecting people through food since 2013. We are a community focused not for profit organisation bringing communities together to grow, celebrate and eat. With social change in our sights, we are taking action against the escalating food poverty and unmet needs of individuals and households in Penzance and the surrounding area of West Penwith.
Strategic Mission Statement
To create an intelligent, sustainable, resilient and accessible food system that connects our community needs and directly addresses inequality, food poverty and social vulnerability; whilst enhancing biodiversity and reducing our impact on the environment.
Strategic Vision Statement
To build and develop a soil to plate culture we all can be proud of. Through good ethical horticulture and culinary practice, education and training along with building positive relationships with all our stakeholders that enables us to actively engage with our community and breakdown the barriers and equality of food distribution that can result in food poverty.
Strategic Ethos Statement
Our values are; kindness, responsible, environmental, resourceful, community, mutual aid, health, education, collaboration, non-judgement, resilience and most importantly delivered with LOVE.
Current Structure
Growing Links is the strategic development CIC umbrella of its 4 areas of operation, all focused on their shared strategic vision.
Our Current areas of operation
Growing Links has a distinguished track record of actively supporting and empowering our local community, including the most vulnerable people in our community, by providing an effective sustainable food network from soil to plate.
Our areas of operation are developed to demonstrate how such a local food network can engage with the whole local community.
We effectively address some of the core needs of our community by delivering social support provision, promoting health and wellbeing, and providing access to food for all. Our projects include The Street Food Project, The Food Store, The Community Garden and The Tree Field. We provide supported opportunities for participation, volunteering, rehabilitation, self-development, education, skills and training. To help fund our projects we also run a local veg bag scheme.
By growing food locally to feed our local neighbourhoods and creating communal therapeutic spaces for families and individuals to garden, grow, recover and enjoy we are forging long lasting connections to the environment, the community and between our employees, volunteers and the participants who rely on the work that we do.
It is our job to continue to put our local community and planet first. To normalise green lifestyles in response to the climate crisis and economic challenges that we face; to make good food accessible to all and build a healthier, more sustainable food culture that is self sufficient and resilient to our future.
Growing Links Academy 