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Volunteer Development Scotland is offering a free opportunity to find out more about its range of learning courses and qualifications available to develop and enhance volunteer coordination and management at an information session on 19 April 2011 from 10 am to 12 noon in Stirling.   This is an...

Scottish Orchards is undertaking a mapping exercise of orchards and  grow your own projects in Central Scotland.   A census form is available on the Scottish Orchards website www.scottishorchards.com/

CFHS has a fact sheet and a new leaflet available. TV Dinners provides examples of how groups working with young people have used TV formats, such as Come Dine with Me to teach cookery skills. How to get beyond smoothies...

In February 2010, the Scottish Government and COSLA launched a long-term obesity strategy entitled Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland: A Route Map Towards Healthy Weight. The 'Obesity Route Map' recognised that it is difficult for people to be able to change...

The Scottish Government yesterday published new nutritional guidance to help improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people in residential care settings.  It provides nutritional and practical guidance along with information and advice that will assist practitioners to support...

The Sunday Mail is looking for nominations for its Young Scot awards. Are you aware of a young person helping others to lead a healthier lifestyle? Or supporting the community to deal with alcohol or mental health issues? How are the...

CFHS has a limited amount of funding available (to be awarded by the end of this financial year - 31 March 2011)  for training in food, nutrition and health for community-based organisations working with minority ethnic children, pregnant women and families. For more...

Many of you involved in food and health work and early years will have contributed experience and opinions to the Scottish Government's development of a maternal and infant nutrition strategy. Following a draft ‘Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework’ circulated in...

This week CFHS launched our most recent publication, Celebrating Outcomes, available to download from the Publications Library. This publication highlights the important contribution that community food initiatives are making towards achieving Scotland's national outcomes. We hope that this celebration will emphasise,...

This year's Take Life On campaign will be supported by an eight stop marketing tour across Scotland, to demonstrate the types of healthy changes people can make to their lifestyles, as well as promotions in selected Morrisons stores. Further details and...

Would you like the chance for your group or agency to be entered into a free prize draw? We would like to find out what information groups or tutors have about the difference that cookery skills sessions make. We would like to...

To mark the Queen''s diamond Jubilee in 2012, the Big Lottery Fund has re- branded the People''s Millions fund as the Jubilee People''s Millions.  The scheme is for projects that will improve local places and the lives of local people....

CFHS is looking for existing tutors to pilot a new REHIS Elementary Food and Health course tailored towards the learning disability sector. We are offering funding to tutors towards delivering a pilot course (up to £600). Further information and details...

Due to the recent unexpected weather, some of our programme’s activities have been re-scheduled for next year. Promoting your community food Initiative is now being held on 21 and 28 January and Developing your social enterprise on 23 February and...

Tuesday 15 February 2011, Albany Centre, Glasgow 10 am to 3.15 pm (lunch provided) Places are stil available at this free event.  The aim of the event is to learn from other groups and agencies across Scotland that are carrying out...

SCOFF (the Scottish Colloquium on Food and Feeding)  in association with the Dept of Marketing, University of Strathclyde, is holding a workshop for anyone interested in food and the written word to come together to share their work and interest. The organisers...

CFHS’s new learning and development programme has been launched.  The programme includes a range of free learning and development opportunities, being run until the end of March 2011. Please visit the CFHS Other Funding and Opportunities section for further information....

Community Food and Health (Scotland) is seeking expressions of interest for a research project. Project title: Community Cafes in Scotland Deadline for expressions of interest: 12 noon on Friday 5 November 2010 Aim: To build on a mapping exercise currently being undertaken by...

NHS Health Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government has developed a website for professionals working in health, local and community and voluntary authorities to support health improvement in early years. Visit www.maternal-and-early-years.org.uk to find out more.

Issue 7 of ‘Engage’ magazine - the first edition following the completion of the Meeting the Shared Challenge programme - is now available to view and download from www.chex.org.uk This issue marks a continued commitment to community-led approaches beyond Meeting the...

The Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice (Generations Working Together) provides funding to stimulate projects that demonstrate good practice and innovation in intergenerational activities in Scotland. The Spring 2010 Micro Grant funding round had over 150 applications, of which 53 projects...

Are you interested in doing research or gaining evidence about the impact of your community food and health activities?  Would you be interested in working with a student to do this work? Community Food and Health (Scotland) is working with colleagues from...

Health improvement outcomes in Early Years are a key priority for all of us and strongly supported by the Scottish Government through a range of policies and actions. Over the last two years the Scottish government and a variety of...

An Academy award nominated documentary following a 14 acre community garden run by immigrants from Latin America in Los Angeles is being shown at the Playhouse cinema In Edinburgh at 6.10pm on Thursday 24 September. For more information on the...

CFHS is currently undertaking an external evaluation that will explore the difference we make and the learning we should take on board in the future.  This evaluation will help us to demonstrate our impact and explain how and why we...

Tomorrow's Menu' - Scotland's National Food and Drink Conference 2010 is taking place at Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 24 November. National and international experts will address the free interactive event, which is intended to “provide a unique opportunity to...

CFHS are running two Scottish Grocers Federation's 'healthyliving' programme training sessions, on 30 September in Stirling, and 8 October in Rigside, South Lanarkshire. The training covers a range of topics including promoting fresh produce, presentation of fruit and vegetables, how...

A workshop based development day for organisations looking to build their capacity to provide activities around food and health with minority ethnic communities. Wednesday 29 September 2010 10.00am – 4.00pm The Albany Learning and Conference Centre, Glasgow The day will include: ...

Booking forms and workshop information are now available for our networking conference, Healthy Goals, which will be held on Thursday 21 October at the Park Hotel in Kilmarnock.   Please visit the Current Work section for further information.  Booking forms must...

CFHS is currently undertaking an external evaluation that will explore the difference we make and the learning we should take on board in the future.  This evaluation will help us to demonstrate our impact and explain how and why we...

North Glasgow Community Food Initiative is currently recruiting for a number of posts. Visit www.ngcfi.org.uk/id16.html for more information.

Equally Enterprising is a new project providing support to equalities-focused third sector organisations, to help them become more enterprising.  The project will provide a package of support, including an on-line learning network, telephone support, and free, tailored support for ten...

We are looking for two more people working in the community and voluntary sector to join our steering group. We would like to invite applications from volunteers, lay workers and professional fieldworkers within Scotland based on their knowledge, experience and...

The Big Lottery Fund has recently reopened its Investing in Communities programme. Investing in Communities has three investment areas, based around previous investment areas of Growing Community Assets, Life Transitions and Supporting 21st Century Life. Grant of between £10,000 to £1...

We invite tenders for an impact evaluation of Community Food and Health (Scotland) - CFHS.  The evaluation will examine the difference CFHS makes and the learning we should take on board for the future.  The evaluation will involve analysis of...

Our annual networking conference, Healthy Goals, will take place on Thursday 21 October at the Park Hotel in Kilmarnock. Giving community food and health projects a platform to tell others, either doing the same as you, or wanting to find out...

The Growing Communities in Scotland Partnership (Trellis, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and the Allotment Regeneration Initiative) is currently recruiting for two part-time fieldworkers. Further information is available from www.farmgarden.org.uk/about-us/jobs The deadline for applications is Monday 28 June.  

Free Broadband provider Freerunner is offering to install free WiFi wireless internet access in 50 community spaces for at least 3 years. The company will also install the Freerunner service for free in 500 charity buildings, provided that they have broadband...

The Allotments Regeneration Initiative is recruiting for a Volunteer Mentor for Scotland to give advice and support to people regenerating or creating allotments. Mentors will need to have some experience of running an allotment site, be able to volunteer a minimum...

CFHS now has a monthly news e-bulletin. To subscribe to this, visit the Contact Us section.

Lloyds TSB Foundation has announced the reopening of its grant-making programme and is inviting charities to apply for funding from the £2 million available for 2010.   Last October, the Foundation announced the suspension of its grant-making activities, but the Foundation now...

We will be running two-day training courses for individuals working in the food and health sector in Scotland to learn about how to reach and engage with groups and individuals, particularly those considered 'hard to reach' or 'rarely listened to'....

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens is currently recruiting for a Part-Time Administrator (2.5 days per week), £23,798 pro rata, temp until 301 May 2011, based at its office in Edinburgh. More information and an application form are available...

We are delighted to open the 2010 annual small grant scheme. Groups and agencies working with or within low-income groups in Scotland are welcome to apply for grants between £500 to £4,000 to develop healthy eating activities. Further information and details...

The Live Well Edinburgh Fund (formerly the Joseph Thomson Mortification Trust) is encouraging groups and services in Edinburgh that provide food, food education activities and services to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities to apply for grants to support their work. Joseph Thomson...

North Glasgow Community Food Initiative is a key voluntary sector organisation delivering practical healthy lifestyle projects to the diverse communities of North Glasgow. It is currently recruiting for three posts: Social Enterprise Development Officer Development Worker - Community Food Finance Officer Full...

Wednesday June 16th 10.00 am– 3.00pm Perth Concert Hall This is a first networking meeting for community food initiatives working to support older people in their community to eat well. Older people both run and use a wide range of community...

With welcome assistance from the conference organisers, CFHS can offer free attendance, travel and accommodation for two participants from Scottish organisations to this event on Monday 5 July at the British Library Conference Centre in London. All we need is for...

CFHS are looking for community food initiatives involved in growing fruit and vegetables to share their stall at Gardening Scotland. Held from 4-6 June at Ingliston near Edinburgh, Scotland’s largest gardening event attracts thousands of visitors. If you would like to...

Across Scotland community food initiatives are making a difference. Through improved access to food, communities address health inequalities and improve the health of individuals and families. FREE 24-hour learning event luncthime 23 August - lunchtime 24 August New Lanark Mill Hotel, New...

A joint £1.3 million investment from the Scottish Government and retailers to promote healthier food options in convenience stores has recently been announced. The Scottish Government plans to invest £679,000 over three years to extend the Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) Healthyliving Programme,...

An opportunity to study for a PhD in Therapeutic Horticulture, supervised by Stirling University and Trellis, the national charity that supports, promotes, and develops the use of horticulture to improve health, wellbeing and life opportunities for all is now available. Visit...

Unfortunately in times of budget constraints community and voluntary health organisations across the country are likely to be experiencing cuts in funding. The Community Health Exchange (CHEX) wants to capture that information so that it can provide the Scottish Government with...

On 22 February the Scottish Government launched a long-term obesity strategy, Preventing Overweight and Obesity: A Route Map Towards Healthy Weight. The Route Map identired four key areas in which action is likely to have the greatest effect - reducing demand...

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment, Richard Lochhead, recently unveiled plans by the Scottish Government to teach children and young people about  the supply chain and where food comes from as well as how it benefits their health,...

The Scottish Government and CoSLA are hosting a series of roadshows across Scotland in March this year on implementing the early years framework. The roadshows will mark a year of early years framework implementation and will allow participants to take stock...

CFHS is seeking Expressions of Interest to deliver training on community engagement. Full details are available in the Current Work section

CFHS is seeking expressions of interest for a research project to establish the impact of our annual small grants scheme beyond the evaluation of the funded activities. Full details of this research project are available in the Current Work section

A few places are still available on this one-day workshop, being held on Wednesday 10 March. The workshop is being run by the Social Enterprise Academy for CFHS.  If you want to measure the social, economic and environmental impact that your...

Community Food and Health (Scotland) and NHS Health Scotland are collaborating to host an event that provides an exciting opportunity for community food initiatives to contribute to the development of this outcomes framework. The event will be held on Wednesday...

Across Scotland community food initiatives are making a difference. Through improved access to food, communities address health inequalities and improve the health of individuals and families. 24-hour learning event 15/16 April 2010 Venue to be confirmed CFHS are pleased to invite you to start...

NHS Scotland is inviting community-led health organisations to host a stall at its Anticipatory Care Practitioners Event on Equality and Diversity on the 9th March 2010 at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh from 10am- 4pm. The day will involve a range of...

Issue 6 of Engage, the magazine for the Meeting the Shared Challenge support programme, is now available to download from the Health Scotland website. In this issue Kay Barton from the Scottish Government reflects on the progress of the Meeting the...

GCVS, in partnership with Glasgow Community Planning, is hosting a two-day, drop-in consultancy event for Glasgow's voluntary and community organisations. Expert help and advice is available on many issues affecting voluntary and community organisations, such as funding issues; legal issues; business plans;...

The Food Standards Agency has officially launched SmallSteps4Life - an interactive website to motivate young people to take simple steps towards improving their health and wellbeing, both inside and outside the classroom. SmallSteps4Life encourages young people to set themselves challenges,...

Ready for Business is a public social partnership (PSP) pilot project designed to support social enterprises and procurement agencies to realise maximum value from procurement opportunities. For more information about the pilot, and how to become involved, visit www.ReadyforBusiness.org.  

Fitness to Tender is three workshops run by Forth Sector Development.  They are aimed at increasing third sector organisations’ knowledge of the tendering process. Support will also be given around bidding for and winning contracts. The workshops are completely free and...

Across Scotland community food initiatives are making a difference. Through improved access to food, communities address health inequalities and improve the health of individuals and families. 24-hour learning event 15/16 April 2010 Venue to be confirmed CFHS are pleased to invite you to start...

In CFHS’s most recent edition of Fare Choice (edition 50!) we included a couple of exciting opportunities for community food initiatives across Scotland. Firstly, we included a template for community food initiatives to complete, telling us about how you feel your...

Community Food and Health (Scotland) has funds available to support community based mental health organisations provide training to their staff and volunteers in food, nutrition and health. Access to a balanced, healthy diet is as important to good mental health...

In partnership with CFHS, the Social Enterprise Academy is running two learning and development days for community food and health organisations with an interest in social enterprise and wanting to find out more.  The programme for the two days is designed...

This month our quarterly newsletter, Fare Choice, reaches its 50th edition and looks back at initiatives featured in the first edition and how they have managed to sustain their activities. Fare Choice is available to download now from the Publications Library,

The Melting Pot in Edinburgh provides spaces for individuals and organisations to work, connect, meet and hold events.  It is a not-for-profit social enterprise that aims to inspire and support people to realise their ideas for a better world. The Assisted Places Programme...

In 2007 the Scottish Government launched its National Performance Framework which includes one overarching purpose, strategic objectives, 15 national outcomes and 45 national indicators. This outcomes focused approach details the national outcomes which the Scottish Government believe need to be achieved...

Tackling Health Inequalities in Scotland: working with communities – a partnership of Scottish Intermediary bodies, has been produced by Napier University on behalf of Community Food and Health Scotland), Community Health Exchange (CHEX), Voluntary Health Scotland and the UK Public...

This event took place in November and explored current public health issues ‘in a world of unprecedented change like nothing we have known before’.  The conference provided opportunities to those involved in protecting and improving health to learn about and...

Comic Relief is inviting the voluntary and community sector throughout the UK where older people aged 65+ are developing ideas for action and change, to submit applications through its Older People''s Programme. The programme aims to support older people to bring...

Food for Thought Glasgow encourages social integration and healthier lifestyles through training. Through its Healthy Food at Home project volunteers assist community members who are house bound to prepare healthy food at home. More information on how to access these free healthy cookery sessions...

Senscot has launched a new publication, Social Enterprise and the Healthy Working Lives Initiative, which highlights the involvement of five social enterprises in the Healthy Working Lives.  Community food and health work features strongly. The publication is available to download from the...

Issue 5 of Engage, the magazine for the Meeting the Shared Challenge, is now available to download from the Health Scotland website http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/11133-EngageIssue5.pdf

The Scottish Government has announced that the Third Sector Enterprise Fund will be closing for applications next week.. The fund was launched in January to help organisations increase their capacity and become more sustainable, and almost 300 organisations have applied...

A summary of the evaluation of the roll-out of the Scottish Grocers Federation’s ‘Healthy Living’ programme is now available.  The summary highlights the key findings from the evaluation and includes a number of recommendations for any future development of this work.

This year's CFHS annual networking conference, Going Forth,  was held at the Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline on Thursday 22 October.  This year’s event maintained a strong focus on community initiatives that are developing and sustaining food and health activities that address food...

Places are still available for the Food and Health Alliance Conference which is taking place at Edinburgh Conference Centre on 17 November. The focus will be on the food and health aspects of Recipe for Success - Scotland's National Food...

The BBC has announced that the next funding round of the BBC Children in Need is now open for applications. BBC Children in Need provides grants for up to three years to properly constituted not for profit organisations working with...

Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) is currently piloting a Volunteer Impact Assessment toolkit and they are keen to work with a community food initiative as part of this pilot. The Volunteer Impact Assessment toolkit was originally developed by the Institute for Volunteering...

The Scottish Government has just announced the launch of a £1.7 million Resilience Fund, for third sector organisations that have been affected by the recession.  Grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 will potentially be available to Third Sector organisations which...

The report of the evaluation of the Scottish Grocers Federation’s ‘Healthy Living’ programme pilot is now available.  The pilot rolled out the training and resources available through the programme to 27 community food initiatives. The evaluation looks at the impact...

The SROI Project is holding two 2-day training sessions on Social Return on Investment (SROI) for third sector organisations and intermediaries.  The training is aimed at organisations that have a basic understanding of SROI and are ready to undertake an SROI...

Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) are now the key way that Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) identify their priorities for local communities, in line with national outcomes identified by the Scottish Government. We have heard about one or two examples of people...

During this academic year colleagues at Queen Margaret University (QMU), who deliver a MSc Public Health Nutrition course and a BSc (Hons) Nutrition course, are looking to involve their students in practical work with community food initiatives. As such,...

In 2006 CFHS produced Minding Their Own Business, an introduction to business and social enterprise for organisations supporting local communities tackling inequalities in diet and health. Minding Their Own Business Too is a companion to this toolkit. In response to...

Green Alliance (www.green-alliance.org.uk) is currently undertaking a project to map climate change activities happening across the whole of the third sector. The focus is on national or organisational activities, as well as trying to get a sense of how well...

Booking forms are now available for this year's annual networking conference, Going Forth, to be held at the Carnegie Conference Centre on 22 October. Please visit the Current Work section for more details.

CFHS is looking to expand its work with black and ethnic minority communities and want to hear from groups and organisations that have ideas about work they would like to do, to improve the take-up of a healthy diet within black...

SCVO have launched a new programme, Business on Board, part of a suite of programmes that aim to promote dialogue and exchange between the private and third sectors. The programme can put organisations in touch with experienced business people interested in...

As part of the second year of the ‘Healthy Communities: Meeting the Shared Challenge’ programme CHEX is hosting 4 ‘Regional Networking Events’. The events are aimed at community and voluntary organisations and their partners to build on their involvement in...

Bookings are now being taken for the remaining three modules included in the Social Enterprise Academy’s ‘Starting Your Social Enterprise’ programme.  This programme, accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management, is for members of community food initiatives that areat the...

Firstport will be running a day of free business planning with a leading international consultancy.  The event will be held in central Scotland, probably on 29 September (to be confirmed), and social enterprises wanting to take part are asked to register...

On Thursday 25 June, CFHS co-hosted this event in Edinburgh, looking at what we are learning and what we need to do about food, health and homelessness in Scotland. 70 people attended from a wide range of organisations working with people...

Issue 4 of Engage, the magazine for the Meeting the Shared Challenge support programme, is now available from the NHS Health Scotland website.  This edition focuses on evidence and evaluation.

Richard Lochhead,  Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary, unveiled 'Recipe for Success' - setting out the next steps for the national food and drink policy - this morning at the Royal Highland Show.   It sets out steps to bring together key issues of...

Food, training and learning disability highlights work in Scotland to improve food and health for people with learning disabilities. The report focuses on a training project for support workers but also includes case studies from groups that regularly deliver cooking...

A programme of business support for up to 10 community food initiatives that expect to face sustainability isses within the next 6-18 months is now open. The programme will provide successful applicants with up to seven days business advice from...

The deadline to apply to access the CFHS Learning Account with Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) has been extended to 5pm Thursday 1 July. More information about this opportunity and how to apply is available in the Current Work section.

The SROI (Social Return on Investment) project website has been updated with new materials, case studies, an information leaflet and a downloadable Guide to SROI. Dates have also been confirmed for free SROI workshops. More information is available from www.sroiproject.org.uk

The Food Ethics Council want a fair future for food and farming and have commissioned an enquiry to hear first-hand experience from consumers, people working in food and farming, and from relevant research that sheds light on what this means...

Sustain: the Alliance for Food and Farming has produced a new food co-ops toolkit to help communities set up their own food co-ops and buying groups. The toolkit aims to provide an overview of the important things you need to think...

In response to identified need, Community Food and Health (Scotland) is currently supporting two economic evaluations of community food and health projects.  One of these projects is the Edinburgh Community Food Initiative (ECFI) Happy Jack Project, funded by the Sure Start Programme...

Public Health Minister Shona Robison has launched a trial programme to bring whole communities, towns or cities together to eat more healthily and be more active in addressing childhood obesity. Eight sites will take part in the programme: Dundee, Dumfries,...

This free event, co-hosted by Community Food and Health (Scotland) and Edinburgh Cyrenians, is an opportunity for those responsible for developing strategy to engage in dialogue with those who carry out food and health work with people affected by homelessness...

The Future Jobs Fund was announced as part of the April 2009 Budget. It is a major new initiative which will operate across the UK, and is designed to create 15,000 jobs across Scotland between October 2009 and April 2011. A key element...

WELFEHD is now recruiting for new directors to strengthen its board and take it to the next stage in its development. For more information and an application form visit www.welfehd.co.uk or contact Angela Moohan on 01506 429000, info@welfehd.co.uk Applications need to be received...

Our annual networking conference takes place on 22 October at Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline. This year we would like to offer you the opportunity to lead a workshop for up to 25 participants. We particularly encourage and welcome workshops...

A national event, Commercial Sponsorship in the Public Sector: Principles, Procedures and Possibilities, which will will expand on Consumer Focus' Guidelines on Commercial Sponsorship in the Public Sector, will take place in Glasgow on 10 June 2009. The event will enable key players...

NHS Health Scotland will lead and co-ordinate a programme of work in 2009/2010 to support the development of partnerships between Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS) organisations and Anticipatory Care (AC) programmes in Scotland.  The aim of the partnerships is to...

A few places are still available on the Social Enterprise Academy’s learning and development programme for community food initiatives that are interested in becoming, or finding  out more about, social enterprises.  The programme – Starting Your Social Enterprise  - is...

The Scottish Government has launched its community empowerment action plan, which builds on its joint statement with CoSLA on community empowerment in 2008. The action plan sets out a range of new and practical actions that underpin the process of community...

EKOS has been commissioned by the Dynamic Inclusive Communities Forum to carry out a mapping study (PDF 53.6 kb) examining support services for the third sector in Scotland    A key part of the study is seeking the views of third sector organisations...

'Growing Communities in Scotland’ is a Big Lottery funded Partnership between Trellis, FCFCG and the Allotments Regeneration Initiative.   The Growing Communities partnership is launching its ’ Sites Visits Travel Bursary' funded by the Big Lottery. This will be open to anyone...

Issue 3 of Engage, the magazine for the Meeting the Shared Challenge support programme, is now available from the NHS Health Scotland website http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/9519-HSC0023%20Engage3_WEB.PDF

The People's Millions programme is now open for applications. Since 2005, the BIG Lottery has teamed up with ITV to give away lottery funding to projects that will benefit local communities across the UK. A wide range of projects have been...

The Healthy Eating, Active Living action plan set out the intention to establish a handful of Healthy Weight Communities across Scotland. These pathfinder programmes will aim to prevent obesity and associated illnesses, with an emphasis on addressing health inequalities.  The...

The Energy Saving Scotland advice centre and the Sustainable Development Commission Scotland are hosting two free events to give community groups that opportunity to discover the Climate Challenge Fund and the organisations that can help them to realise their vision...

Soil Association Scotland is holding a series of public meetings throughout Scotland in the coming weeks. Members of the public are invited to take part in a discussion on how local communities can help create a healthier food culture, and...

The Scottish Government is now accepting applications for the Third Sector Enterprise Fund.  This £12 million Fund, available from April 2009 to March 2011 ‘aims to support ambitious third sector organisations that wish to operate in a more business-like and...

This event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Caroline Walker Trust took place on Tuesday 25 November 2008. The day covered aspects of public health nutrition, and a variety of topics such as UK food policies, pregnancy, early years and older...

The Welsh Food Alliance is encouraging older people in the UK to have their say in the planning of an ‘older peoples’ food charter’ by taking part in its latest survey looking at older people’s experience and expectations of  food-related goods and services...

Issue Two of Engage (PDF, 624 kb), the magazine for the Meeting the Shared Challenge support programme, is now available from the Health Scotland website The magazine highlights the work of this national capacity building programme for community-led health improvement.

Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) has recently launched its online shopping site www.Larderbytes.com   Bread, fruit/veg, fish, dairy and meat items can be ordered online and delivered free to anywhere in Aberdeen. More information on Larderbytes is available from CFINE on...

Issue 46 of Fare Choice is now available to download from the Our Newsletters section of the Publications Library.

A transformational framework to improve the life chances of Scotland's children and tackle inequalities by targeting the early years was launched by the Scottish Government and COSLA last week. The Early Years Framework, developed in collaboration with independent experts during the past...

Pilot projects aimed at improving children's health by providing targeted health-related services at school were unveiled yesterday by the Scottish Government as the first Equally Well implementation plan was published. The first children's health and wellbeing support pilot gets underway in South Ayrshire...

In September 2008, we ran two tours to organisations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh delivering services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and operating as social enterprises. A short report on the study tours is now available to...

The report and evaluation of the Getting Down to Business seminars, which offered participants in Edinburgh and Inverness the opportuniity to find out more about becoming a social enterprise, is now available to download from the Business and Project Development...

The Scottish Consumer Council (SCC), energywatch (Scotland) and Postwatch (Scotland) merged on 1st October 2008. The new stronger consumer organisation is known as Consumer Focus Scotland. All the development projects currently based at the SCC, including Community Food and Health (Scotland), will continue their award...

Fare Choice Issue 45 is now available to download from the Our Newsletters section of the Publications Library.

The Scottish Consumer Council, soon to form part of the new agency Consumer Focus Scotland, has recently launched the findings from a survey they commissioned of S3 and S4 pupils at three different schools to examine why young people chose...

The National Consumer Council (soon to become part of the new agency Consumer Focus) published an interesting report on take-aways earlier in the summer. The study looked at nutritional information available to consumers using the country's leading take-away chains. It...

'Cut-price, what cost? How supermarkets can affect your chances of a healthy diet' is the fourth in a series of reports in which the National Consumer Council (soon to become part of the new agency Consumer Focus) rates the UK's...

A recent publication by Glasgow Addiction Services summarises the key findings from a scoping exercise looking at the nutritional care currently provided within their service. The report found that there were high levels of nutritional problems amongst service users and...

ECFI works to tackle health inequalities through diet. It supplies healthy food through its warehouse and promotes healthy eating through its community projects across Edinburgh. It is looking for an experienced, entrepreneurial manager with a community development ethos to consolidate and...

This report is now available to download from the Children and Young People section of the Publications Library.   This report highlights the first stage of a three part pilot programme commissioned by CFHS, and led by Evaluation Support Scotland to support...

Trellis (the Scottish Therapeutic Gardening Network) is currently recruiting for a part-time (15 hrs) Information Officer based in Perth, salary £19311 pro-rata. Further information is available from www.goodmoves.org.uk/findajob/findajobdet.asp?id=10275&tab=2    

Issue 44 of Fare Choice, our quarterly newsletter, is now available to download from the Publications Library.

A new action plan, 'Healthy Eating, Active Living', targeting obesity, poor diet and the promotion of physical exercise has been launched by the Scottish Government, highlighting an additional £40 million pounds of new funding to be provided over the next three years. The...

Equally Well, the report of the ministerial task force on health inequalities was launched last week by Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison. The report highlights the £1.78 billion being spent on tackling health inequalities over the next three years but...

A flavour of what the future holds for Scottish communities tackling food access, social exclusion and health inequalities was given today in the Ministerial announcement on a National Food Policy.  Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, used this...

The Food and Health Alliance (FHA) was set up to bring together, inform, and support those working to make a difference to food, nutrition, and health in Scotland. The Alliance is now seeking views about the information, networks, and support...

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the NHS, Health Scotland is staging public health roadshows across Scotland’s 14 health boards. The roadshows will consist of interactive displays, a fruit machine game for children and lots of free merchandise will be given...

Major new funding has become available which may be of use to those trying to develop community-based sustainable food systems. Funding, from a few pounds to a million, is now available to community groups through the Scottish Government's new Climate...

The International Association for Public Participation is planning a conference, 'Public Participation and Social Responsibility: from why to how', to be held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on 27-29 August 2008. The conference will be about 'embedding public...

Glasgow City Council’s Land and Environmental Services are carrying out a consultation on the draft Allotments Strategy, and they are seeking the views of allotment gardeners and other interested parties. The Strategy contains 10 key objectives, all of which aim to...

CFHS is pleased to announce that the date has been set for this year's free annual networking conference which will be held at the Thistle Hotel, Glasgow on Tuesday 11 November. We are still in the early stages of planning this...

The deadline for responses to the Scottish Government's discussion paper on 'Taking Forward the Government Economic Strategy: A Discussion Paper on Tackling Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation in Scotland' has been extended to 30 June 2008. More information on the discussion and...

On 18 March CFHS facilitated a national seminar at the Piping Centre in Glasgow to ensure that the experience and understanding of low-income communities is included in the development of a future National Food Policy for Scotland. The report from that...

Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh is looking for community groups who are able to offer work placements to students (MSc in Public Health Nutrition and BSc (Hons) Nutrition) to complement their academic studies. If you are able to offer hands-on experience as a...

The report of our annual networking conference, Back in Touch, held at Murrayfield Conference Centre in Edinburgh on 11 October 2007, is now available to download from the Publications Library.

Issue 43 of Fare Choice is now available to download from the Publications Library.

The next Food Access Network/FSA UK Liaison event will be held on Tuesday 16 April at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. The theme for this event will focus on ‘Food Access and Older People’ and this event is aimed at...

The discussion paper 'Choosing the Right Ingredients - the future of food for Scotland' sets out the Scottish Government's vision for food in Scotland.  Community Food and Health (Scotland) believes that the experience and understanding of disadvantaged communities will be crucial...

South Ayrshire Council has received £10,000 from the Food Standards Agency to deliver the REHIS Elementary Food and Health Course to specific target groups of people in the community. The project aims to deliver 11 courses training up to 154...

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment today launched a national discussion on a food policy for Scotland at a breakfast club in Edinburgh www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/01/14151919 The discussion paper 'Choosing the Right Ingredients - the future of food for...

CFHS is holding 2 one-day events for community food enterprises interested in finding out more about social enterprise - Getting Down to Business will take place on 7 February 2008 in Edinburgh, and 28 February 2008 in Inverness. Getting Down to Business...

Edition 5 of our regular e-bulletin update on developments in food, health and homelessness in Scotland is now available to download from the Our Newslettters section of the Publications Library.

Issue 42 of Fare Choice, our quarterly newsletter, is now available to download from the Publications Library.

The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) is taking forward four new programmes to help develop practice and improve outcomes in community engagement and community capacity.  ‘Strengthening Scotland’s Communities’ is one of these and aims to help improve the quality and...

Two new publications are available to download from the Policy and Planning section of the Publications Library. The briefing paper Implementing Together the Community-Led Task Group Recommendations was written for participants of the CFHS annual networking conference held on 11 October 2007....

The University of Dundee and the Institute of Socail Marketing at the University of Stirling are looking for health professionals interested in the communication of portion size information when giving dietary advice to take part in a research project funded...

CFHS is holding 2 one-day events for community food enterprises interested in finding out more about social enterprise - Getting Down to Business will take place on 7 February 2008 in Edinburgh, and 28 February 2008 in Inverness. Getting Down to Business...

The Food and Health Alliance conference is to be held in Edinburgh on 5 February 2008.  Abstract submissions are encouraged around the following themes by 14 December 2007: infant nutrition (0-2 age group) plus maternal nutrition; creating healthy places/food int...

As we are all aware, succeeding in making Scotland healthier depends on contributions from many partners including the NHS, local authorities and the community and voluntary sector. The contribution of the community and voluntary sector was fully emphasised at a recent...

A scoping study commissioned by CFHS looking at the potential for greater collective activity amongst a number of key community food initiatives in east-central Scotland is now available to download from the Policy and Planning section of the Publications Library....

The Food Train, a local and voluntary charity organisation which provides grocery shopping home delivery services for elderly, housebound and disabled people across Dumfries and Gallowy has had its support to customers dropped by Tesco in Stranraer. Previously they had...

A Taste for Independence is now available to download from the Business and Project Development section of the Publications Library. This guide discusses the experiences of 21 organisations throughout Scotland who work with a range of vulnerable groups, including people...

Edition 41 of Fare Choice, our quarterly newsletter, is now available to download from the Our Newsletters section of the publications library. Also new in the publications library are the notes from our roundtable discussion on 0-5 Children and Parents,...

In the last edition (40) of Fare Choice we featured East Lothian Roots and Fruits in a Take Stock article. We let you know that they were soon to be featured on BBC's Beechgrove Garden. Filming was completed in June,...

Issue 40 of our quarterly newsletter Fare Choice and Issue 4 of Food Matters,  our update on developments in food, health and homelessness in Scotland, are now available to download from the Our Newsletters section of the Publications Libary.

CFHS is running participatory appraisal training in Dumfries from 17-21 September 2007. Anyone involved with community-based food and health work in Scotland can apply to attend this free course. Participatory Appraisal (PA) is a family of approaches and methods which enable...

Primetime is a new funding initiative for the over 50s that the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland is running in Partnership with BBC Scotland. Primetime puts the power of making decisions about National Lottery money into the hands of people...

Fruitful Participation: involving people in food and health work is a new publication from Community Food and Health (Scotland) which gives a snapshot of how getting people involved in decision-making around food and health issues can be enjoyable, democratic, empower...

Would you like to know more about providing more adapted, varied and nutritious meals for the homeless people who access your services? Would you like to be able to provide basic nutritional advice to your clients? Are you keen to...

CFHS has put together a briefing sheet giving information about the services and key contacts that the main Scottish banks offer to projects using social enterprise approaches. It was produced because people working in community food initiatives using a social...

The Community Food and Health (Scotland) small grant scheme is now open. Grants from £500 to £3000 are available to groups and agencies in Scotland who wish to improve access to, and take up of a healthy, varied and balanced...

The Food Standards Agency is inviting applications for grants of up to £10,000 to support local food initiatives. The scheme is open to local authorities, food liaison groups and trading standards regional groups and their equivalents in all UK countries. More...

The next deadline for grant applications to the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland Standard Grants Programme is 21 May 2007. The Foundation makes grants totalling approximately £8 million each year to recognised charities in Scotland which are focused on improving...

The latest edition of our (redesigned) quarterly newsletter, Fare Choice, is now available to download from the Publications Library.

Grassroots organisations considering themselves to be at the forefront of tackling social disadvantage are invited to enter the Centre for Social Justice Awards 2007.  The Awards reward and celebrate grassroots organisations doing exceptional work in tackling poverty and advancing social...

In September 2006, the food, health and homeless initiative at Community Food and Health (Scotland) commissioned Blake Stevenson to undertake a baseline study of food, health and homelessness projects, programmes and initiatives in Scotland.  The report of this study is...

As part of our work on food, health and homelessness we are currently offering opportunities for practitioners, policy-makers and all those concerned with this topic to share and learn from each other Scotland-wide. We are currently piloting a series of...

CFHS recognises the need for greater contribution from those directly involved in delivering and supporting community based food activity to its steering group. We are currently recruiting for three community representatives on our steering group which meets quarterly. If you think you...

Notes from the roundtable discussion on our work with local retailers with regard to the Scottish Grocer's Federation HealthyLiving programme is now available to download from the Catering and Retailing section of the publications library or contact Alice or Rita...

The report of Community Food and Health (Scotland)'s networking conference, Bridges, held at the Apex Hotel in Dundee on 28 September 2006, is now available to download from the Conferences and Networking section of the Publications Library or contact Alice or...

Community Food and Health (Scotland) receives frequent requests for placements from colleges and universities that would like to place their students in community food initiatives to gain experience of working in a community food Initiative (CFI) and complete a piece...

Trellis is the new Scottish national charity that supports therapeutic gardening projects. Based in Perth, Trellis will run regional networking events, an annual conference in March, and advice and support services, as well as promoting the field of therapeutic horticulture. ...

Thank you to everyone who contributed to finding a new name for the Scottish Community Diet Project. After ten years we have taken the decision to change our name to Community Food and Health (Scotland). Whilst the old name was well...

The review of the Scottish Diet Action Plan has now been completed by a distinguished panel, chaired by Prof Tim Lang. Why not give your opinion of the review, whether it reflects your impressions, concerns, or aspirations, on our new discussion forum?