Photo opportunity: Thursday 22 March 2007, 10.00-3.30 pm, TOC H, East London Family Project, The John Scurr Community Centre, 1A Bekesbourne St., London E14 7JQ
‘Celebrate! Women growing food in the city.’ Best photos will be at 12.30 when the community fruit garden is launched.

A new community fruit garden will be launched at a WEN Culture Kitchen event on 22nd March to celebrate the joys and benefits of community food-growing. It is an opportunity for members of WEN’s organic food growing network living in Tower Hamlets to meet each other and share tips and food stories. Women and children from across the borough are coming to the event at TOC H, John Scurr Community Centre, East London. A mulberry tree will be planted to mark the opening of the fruit garden located at the centre. Members of ethnic-minority growing groups including: TOC H, Grove Greening Group, Somali Integration Group and the Coriander Club at Spitalfields City Farm are expected to attend as well as other interested and new growers from around England.

There will be hands-on seed sowing, junk art workshops and a fresh fruit smoothie bar. WEN will be there to share seed saving tips and offer FREE seeds and FREE compost, donated by East London Community Recycling Partnership Ltd (ELCRP). WEN will also offer groups support with the development of their projects including funding opportunities.

Clare Joy of WEN said, “This is an excellent opportunity to bring women together to celebrate food growing in unusual spaces.”

After the delicious, healthy lunch, members of TOC H, East London Family Project will give a tour of their garden. Anisah Islam from TOC H, said,” The garden project has already been very successful in bringing members of the community together regardless of culture, religion, age or race.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:
Clare Joy Food Project Co-ordinator 020 7481 9004, Fax: 020 7481 9144
e-mail: food@wen.org.uk; web:www.wen.org.uk
Mobile on the day: 0787 6777327

Notes to editors:
1. Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) is a national charity and membership organisation which campaigns on environmental and health issues from a women’s perspective. It educates, informs and empowers women and men who care about the environment.

2. TOC H is a community-based charity, which strives to promote the importance of bringing all sectors of society together, regardless of culture, religion or race. It believes in the development of young people, aiming to make the world a more understanding place, to encourage acceptance and remove judgement from our society. It is dedicated to building a fairer society by working with partner organisations to serve children, young people, families and the wider community. More information Tel 020 790 3113. www.toch.org.uk

3. East London Community Recycling Partnership Ltd (ELCRP Ltd) based in east London, is a Community Partnership organisation with the capacity to tackle a number of 'green issues' at the same time, concentrating on composting as its core activity. It is developing appropriate delivery systems for all inner city waste streams. www.elcrp-recycling.com

4. The ‘Taste of a Better Future’ Network was set up seven years ago to help ethnic minority women’s groups develop organic food growing skills. It recognises that such groups have little access to affordable organic food, particularly traditional fruit and vegetable varieties, or to gardens of their own. Over the last seven years, the 50+ groups in the Network have brought new life to some of the most unlikely spaces on housing estates and disused inner city plots. As well as nutritious food, they have enjoyed making new friends, sharing skills and bolstering their communities. The current project, ‘Cultivating the Future’, offers support and training to urban women’s growing groups.

5. Cultivating the Future is supported by Department of Local Communities and Local Government, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Olive Tree Trust and The Tedworth Trust.

6. Photographers and reporters are welcome to attend. The best photo opportunities will be 12.30, when the community fruit garden will be launched, trees will be planted and presentations will be made.