New award to recognise community efforts in promoting good food

The Nourishing Communities Award, delivered by Food for Life and Walsall Council’s Public Health team, will celebrate organisations and groups who advocate for good food and support growing activities, teach people cooking skills and improve the local food system.

It comes just over a year on from Walsall’s first ever food summit in January 2024. The summit brought people working across Walsall’s food system together to discuss a new vision for good food in Walsall.

Good food is defined as healthy and nourishing, supporting the local economy, good for the local environment and good for the planet.

With the award, applicants will need to demonstrate that they do the following and earn a badge for each: cook, grow, share skills and pledge. Once all four badges have been collected, they will achieve the Nourishing Communities Award.

To support local groups to deliver community activities, Food for Life and Walsall Council are also pleased to be offering grants to community groups who are working towards the above. To be eligible, a group must apply for the Nourishing Communities Award, earn at least one badge, and be happy to share updates on their funded activities with Food for Life.

Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing at Walsall Council said: “This is an exciting opportunity for communities across the borough to demonstrate their work in promoting good food in their area.

“Food for Life has been working with our Public Health team since 2017 to make good food the norm and since then over 18,000 children have benefitted from Food for Life activity in schools across Walsall.

“The Nourishing Communities Awards takes the good food movement beyond the school gates and into the heart of Walsall and I encourage residents, groups and organisations to apply.”

Jenine Hadley, Programme Manager at Food for Life Walsall said: “We’re really pleased to be able to support Walsall in this way. We know there are already so many brilliant groups cooking, growing and otherwise making sure our community can enjoy good food, so it’s only right they’re recognised for their amazing work. Going forward, we’ll be working closely with the community to continue making good food easy to enjoy for everyone, including establishing Walsall’s Food Partnership.”

To celebrate achieving a Nourishing Communities Award, awardees will receive a certificate of achievement, a poster and a window sticker to show off their award. They will also join the good food movement happening within Walsall and have opportunities to connect with other groups and organisations, attend network events and help shape the future of Walsall’s food system.

Grant applications will be accepted throughout 2025, with applications reviewed, feedback provided, and grants awarded at four checkpoints. Applications for the Nourishing Communities Award are open all year.

Checkpoints for 2025 are 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 15 December.

To apply, visit the Food for Life website: foodforlife.org.uk/latest-news/food-for-life-walsall-launch-nourishing-communities-award-and-grants-for-community-groups/