Organiclea Grown will be a place where food products, mostly fresh fruit and vegetables produced locally from community gardens and other local voluntary groups, are delivered to the community in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. It will also be a place where people will naturally meet and talk while shopping so it will act as an information hub, promoting and encouraging outdoor activity and environmental awareness. Opportunities for learning, volunteering and training will be created, with one to two staff and volunteer positions available. The shop will be focusing on locally organically ecologically and sustainably produced food in the community from local community gardens and other voluntary based groups. This project will benefit local people, food producers and the environment. Get involved in making this happen by making a pledge!

What we'll deliver:

• Outlet for locally grown food from community garden and other voluntary groups
• Volunteer positions for members of the local community
• Jobs

Why it's a great idea:

This project is great because it will be providing an outlet for local community gardens and other such voluntary groups to deliver fresh healthy nutritious locally grown food through an ecologically sound and sustainable system to the community and promote and encourage outdoor activity, environmental awareness, learning and training and provide voluntary positions and jobs. Local people will be able to purchase and enjoy the freshest produce in the Lea Valley!

Steps to get it done:

• My milestone will be putting down the depisit with rent for the shop
• My milestone will be stocking the shelves with produce to sell
• My milestone will be hiring staff

The inspiration for Organiclea grown comes in part from being within the rich food growing heritage of London's Lea valley which historically was know as the bred / food basket of London, From the Saxon settlers of the sixth century through to Italian glasshouse growers in the 1950s, newcomers came to grow food on the fertile soil by the river, both for local needs and for transportation on the river Lea to markets in neighbouring areas and down to the Thames.The Lea Valley’s Food Growing Puzzle maps this food growing history and captures the experience of those still actively growing food in the area in gardens, balconies, allotments, community growing sites A small amount of the food supplied will also be grown and produced by myself locally at Chingford in an ecologically sound and sustainable way with agricultural biodiversity growing with permaculture and keeping things local cutting down on long delivery methods reducing the carbon footprint and helping environment.