Food Standards Agency
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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) today announced the two winners of the annual Dame Sheila McKechnie Award.
The North Glasgow Community Food Initiative and The Sunshine Café in Manchester were selected from over 53 applications from across the UK by a panel of judges that included the Food Standards Agency's Deputy Chair Julia Unwin, broadcaster Jon Snow (Channel 4 News) and Professor Tim Lang (on behalf of City University).
The FSA established the awards in September 2004 to commemorate the contribution that Dame Sheila McKechnie made in helping to set up the Food Standards Agency. Sheila McKechnie was a lifelong consumer champion, having previously been director of Shelter and later the Consumer's Association (now Which?).
The North Glasgow Community Food Initiative (NGCFI) was founded by students at Glasgow University. The initiative operates in one of Scotland's poorest and most disadvantaged areas where problems such as health, the environment and economic and social exclusion are deep-rooted. As north Glasgow is currently a key point for the dispersal of asylum seekers, with over 2,000 currently residing there, the NGCFI was set up to provide a cost-price fruit and vegetable co-op service for asylum seekers and the whole community. Alongside the food co-op, NGCFI also runs a healthy kids club, cookery sessions, weaning classes and a volunteer project providing dedicated recruitment, support and training for volunteers.
The Sunshine Café food initiative opened in April 2003 as part of a Healthy Living Network (HLN) project - an initiative which is part funded by the National Lottery to reduce health inequalities in deprived areas. The initiative consists of two different ventures - a café that offers healthy and affordable food on an ongoing basis for residents of the Sale estates, and a catering business that delivers buffets to local organisations. The aim of the catering business is to raise sufficient capital to enable the café to continue to operate.
The initiatives will receive £15,000 over a three year period to help develop and expand. Each year the Agency will provide £5,000.
Julia Unwin, FSA Deputy Chair, said: 'Sheila was an outspoken campaigner who worked incredibly hard to champion the rights of consumers to tackle the problems of poverty. She would have been particularly proud to see her name associated with both the North Glasgow Community Food Initiative and The Sunshine Café as she was passionate about providing food access and food education for all. The panel and the Food Standards Agency would like to congratulate both initiatives and wish them a continuing success with their project.'
Jon Snow, presenter, Channel 4 News, said: 'I'm really pleased that we've been able to select another two outstanding projects for this year's Sheila McKechnie awards. Sheila was an inspiration to us all and what you see in both projects, is everything that Sheila stood for - empowering communities, attacking poverty and inspiring leaders.'
Alex Wilde, of the North Glasgow Community Food Initiative: 'We are really pleased with being awarded this funding; it is satisfying to know that the achievements of our organisation and the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers have been recognised. Thanks to this money we are now able to offer even more to the community.'
Ralph Rudden from The Sunshine Café management board said: 'We are really delighted to have won this award. The grant will be of huge benefit to the Sunshine Café - enabling us to develop and expand. It will also help us to turn existing volunteers into trainers, which will create real sustainability for the project. Thanks to the award, the future of this important initiative is now much more secure and can continue to be a real asset to the local community.'
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Who was Dame Sheila McKechnie?
Sheila McKechnie was instrumental in lobbying Government to establish an agency that would genuinely �put consumers� first� and allay consumer concern about a range of food related issues.
Sheila was one of the most effective and influential consumer campaigners of her generation and helped to define the consumer movement not only in the UK but also across Europe. Sheila was awarded an OBE in 1995 for services to housing and the homeless, and made a dame in 2001 for services to consumers. Sheila died on 2nd January 2004, aged 55, after a long battle with cancer. The Agency would like to commemorate Sheila�s memory by developing an award in her name.
What is this award?
The Board of the Food Standards Agency decided in 2004 to commemorate the contribution that Dame Sheila McKechnie made in helping set up the Agency by running annual awards for community food initiatives. The awards are available to any community food initiative in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What happens after the 3 years?
The Agency will work in partnership with the two successful initiatives to evaluate the chosen schemes and make these findings available to other community food initiatives.
How do community food initiatives apply for the award?
Applications for the award can be made between September and December every year. Application forms and information on the award process will be available on the Agency's website in advance.
Who won the awards in 2005?
The Buttershaw 'Eatwise' Project in Bradford and 'Get Fresh' in Dorset were selected from over forty applications across the UK.
For pictures of the award winners, for further information or interview requests with Alex Givens and Selina Gledo Ware from The North Glasgow Community Food Initiative or Avril Povah and Ralph Rudden from The Sunshine Café please contact Sarah Read on 020 7276 8888.
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125 Kingsway,
London WC2B 6NH
Telephone: 020 7276 8888
Out of hours duty pager: 07623 978344
Fax: 020 7276 8833
Email:
press.mailbox@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
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