Ambition Lawrence Weston have chosen to focus on food (in)security and nature resilience for their three-year National Lottery funded community climate action demonstrator project. Learn more about their plans from Donna Sealey, Community Development Worker.

Proudly, we launched our project on Monday 10 October, which was well received by local residents, and we started formulating our year one plans. You can watch a film about our launch, with credit to We the Curious.

 

Tackling food (in)security whilst improving biodiversity

Food (in)security is a huge issue for residents living in Lawrence Weston. It is also a major source of carbon emissions. By regenerating our local green spaces to maximise local growing opportunities, and providing community-based training and skills sharing, we will give local people the opportunity and skills to grow and cook their own sustainable fruit and vegetables, which reduces food miles, enable access to lower cost/healthier food options, whilst also improving biodiversity locally.

Grow, Cook and Eat Lawrence Weston will have two ambitious workstreams: growing to reduce carbon emissions and reducing your carbon footprint in the kitchen. Both will have an impact on reducing food insecurity whilst reducing residents carbon footprints in line with Bristol’s aspirational goal of becoming net zero by 2030.

Ensuring all residents are able to thrive

Ambition Lawrence Weston will be bringing together our past experience, reputation and dedication to ensure that Lawrence Weston becomes an even better place to live, work and play, and cement our collective aspiration to ensure that all residents are able to thrive and live their life to their fullest potential. We will be bringing our expertise, knowledge and skills together with key stakeholders and partners to create tangible change around food in the community.

I will be joined by Sara Venn from Edible Bristol and an ecologist from Avon Wildlife Trust, and together with local residents we will change the landscape within Lawrence Weston around rejuvenation of local greenspaces and growing opportunities.

Lawrence Weston is a friendly and vibrant neighbourhood where the word ‘community’ really matters. We will be working with local residents, community groups, and organisations to create a detailed project plan by putting residents at the driving seat with deciding and planning our projects, and residents will be at the heart of designing practical sessions and are leading the way in deciding how we reach our desired outcomes. Local people know their community the best, and by asking them to come up with solutions it is putting the ownership back on them.

We will be creating community hubs across the neighbourhood that will run workshops and discussions to support local people and design a climate-friendly food system that tackles the issues which are specific to an urban borough like ours.

If you are a local resident and you would like to be involved please contact donna.sealey@ambitionlw.org, call 0117 9235112 or reach out to us on any of our socials.

 

Watch this 30 second video to hear why Donna thinks community-led climate action is important, and what she is most excited about phase 2 of the Community Climate Action Project.