SELFLESS volunteers in Warwickshire are the latest to become ambassadors for the Warwickshire Food Strategy.
A group of 13 residents, all passionate about helping others, have completed a series of training sessions with Warwickshire County Council ready to help deliver food projects across the county.
The new Warwickshire Food Champions are in addition to 17 residents who joined the voluntary scheme last year.
A recent event, attended by 12 of the new Warwickshire Food Champions, was held at Old Shire Hall in Warwick to welcome the residents into their new volunteer roles.
They also met with many of the residents who first joined the initiative in 2024 and shared information and experiences with each other.
Representatives from the council also attended to thank the residents for volunteering their time, and to present them with certificates.
The training sessions were delivered by expert speakers who discussed a wide range of topics including cooking on a budget, food hygiene, food and public health, and community food growing.
The aim of the training was to help the new Food Champions know how best to support food-related projects in their communities, and to equip other people with the knowledge about how to eat more healthily, in a way that is affordable, and that contributes to the environment in more sustainable ways.
The work of the volunteers is supporting key priorities outlined in the Warwickshire Food Strategy 2023-26, which has been developed by the Warwickshire Food Forum to help ensure better access for all residents to good quality, healthy, and affordable food.
Coun Heather Timms, the council’s spokesperson for Environment, Climate and Culture, said: “This event was a great opportunity to meet the latest Warwickshire Food Champion volunteers and to understand their passions around helping to reduce food insecurity across the county.
“It is important to engage with local communities so that we understand the best ways to promote healthier diets which are also affordable and sustainable, and the Food Champions initiative helps us to engage with residents directly in a proactive and meaningful way”.
The Warwickshire Food Strategy aims to provide better access to affordable and healthy food, raise awareness and education about healthy food choices, and promote sustainable food to help reduce carbon emissions and support biodiversity.
Visit https://tinyurl.com/yc4nv7bh for more information.
For more information about becoming a Warwickshire Food Champion, email Mike Slemensek at [email protected].
