Students getting a ‘dig-ree’ in growing their own food as part of Capital Growth

Best urban food growers could win a day in Jamie Oliver's Fifteen London restaurant

London's students are being encouraged to embrace the “grow-your own” movement through a Capital Growth food growing competition, ABSeed.
Vegetable gardens are already springing up across London campuses as university students recognise the benefits of having a supply of cheap, healthy food at their disposal. One of the first universities to sign up to Capital Growth after its launch in 2008, was the Roehampton University Outdoors group at Roehampton University. Tended by an environmentally-minded group of students and staff, the plot is a thriving community food growing space on an originally discarded piece of wasteland at the campus. Other institutions getting their hands dirty in the name of vegetable growing include Birkbeck, LSE, Westminster, City and UCL.
With these universities already setting good examples, there is still plenty of room for other spaces to be set up, as universities can register multiple individual sites as Capital Growth spaces. Capital Growth spaces in universities are eligible to take part in the ABSeed competition, with the chance of winning some great gardening goodies. Prizes up for grabs include tools, raised beds, fruit trees and gift cards. In addition, two people will spend the day shadowing the chefs at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen London restaurant’ which prides itself on the importance of education for good food. To register for the competition visit: http://capitalgrowth.org/schools/abseed/
Capital Growth is a partnership initiative between London Food Link, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and the Big Lottery's Local Food Fund. It is championed by the Chair of the London Food Board Rosie Boycott and aims to create 2012 new community food growing spaces across London by the end of 2012. Capital Growth offers practical help, grants, training and support to groups wanting to establish community food growing projects as well as well as advice to landowners. There are already 945 food growing spaces in a wide range of places including schools, housing estates, homeless hostels, universities and even in construction sites.
Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food and Capital Growth champion, said: 'Capital Growth wants to welcome London's students to our food growing efforts. This competition offers a great prize as an incentive to do so and help us make London a greener, good-food loving city. Cash strapped students will also find they save money to boot.'
Paola Guzman, of Capital Growth, commented: ‘Boosting the amount of locally grown food in London has a range of health and environmental benefits, such as helping communities get together to tackle local problems of littering and anti-social behaviour and improving access to nutritious, seasonal and low cost food. It also reduces food miles and cuts carbon emissions.’
She continued, ‘Universities can easily contribute to the scheme since many campuses have great potential in terms of unused green spaces. With a little bit of imagination, team work and determination these can be transformed into thriving urban growing plots.’

To help educational institutions and other organisations get growing, Capital Growth has also launched a training programme across four sites, including Regent's Park. These classes are designed for people with different levels of knowledge and offer practical hands-on advice for food growing as well as providing an opportunity for meeting others who are taking part in the scheme. 
For press enquiries on Capital Growth please contact Hilary Merrett on tel: 020 7983 4755/environmentdesk@london.gov.uk or for ABSeed information contact: Paola Guzman at paola@sustainweb.org

ENDS

Notes to Editors:  

• The Capital Growth  ABSeed  competition is open to nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools colleges and universities in London that plan to have or have a food growing project on their grounds. There are four categories: Best Nursery Edible Garden,  Best Primary School Edible Garden, Best Secondary School Edible Garden and Best University and College Edible Garden. Prizes will be given to the winner and two runners up per category. To  register for  the competition visit our website www.capitalgrowth.org/abseed If you have any problems with this process please contact Paola Guzman at paola@sustainweb.org or at 020 7837 1228. The deadline to register for the competition is 3 June 2011.
• Training: Capital Growth is working with four organisations across London to deliver urban food growing training courses. The courses include setting up an organic vegetable garden, seed sowing and transplanting and composting and improving your soil. Courses are open to anyone interested in food growing in London. For a full list of courses and fees visit http://capitalgrowth.org/pdfs/training_calendar_march_june.pdf
• London Food Link runs a network of organisations and individuals promoting a more sustainable food system for the capital. Network members are as diverse as farmers and food writers, caterers and community food projects. London Food Link is part of Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming. http://www.sustainweb.org/  http://www.sustainweb.org/londonfoodlink/