Headcorn Sustainability Group
Food People Place Executive Summary

Headcorn Sustainability Group is the lead partner for the Food People Place Project. It is a not for profit membership based organisation, currently 180 members whose remit is to ensure that people have the information on which to make informed choices about sustainable lifestyles. It runs the local farmers’ market, community shop, provides environmental advice and runs workshops on sustainable living. Its aim is to help residents tread a little more lightly on the planet and measure the ecological footprint of Headcorn and the surrounding areas.

Fourteen people sat on the main steering group for FPP coming from varied backgrounds in the community. Another 20 people sat on subgroups for the various assessments and projects. These are detailed in the main reports. The local primary school played a major part in the school project and we are very grateful to the Headmaster and the staff for their enthusiasm and commitment.

The steering committee has agreed to continue with the project and develop the ideas listed below. We felt that the landscape assessment was a major part of this project and without it the project would be much poorer and we would be less informed about the nature of Headcorn and the surrounding area. Although the pilot took a lot of time and hard work from many volunteers, it has brought together many groups from within the village and encouraged a community interest in the projects.

Table of Contents

1. Projects Considered
2. Landscape Assessment Outline
3. Project Outline
4. Acknowledgements
5. Project Background
6. Landscape Assessment in full

1a. Projects considered

• Headcorn logo – local graphic artist designing logo – ongoing
• Encourage Primary School to grow things – ongoing
• Recipe Cards – to be combined with directory
• A Boards for farmers’ market
• Group buying – long term
• LETS – long term
• Headcorn Mill – long term
• Local abattoir – dismissed because of regulation
• Covered Farmers’ Market – Goods Shed Mark 2 – long term
• Nature Trail Walk Cards
• Nature Reserve – long term
• Apple Orchard
• Mobile milk processing/bottling plant – long term
• Public exhibition
• Production of Headcorn DVD

1b. How we selected projects to focus on

These were selected for practical reasons and then separated into long and short term projects.

1c. How will all the projects fit together

The projects fit together by enhancing the connection between consumer, producer, farmer and community. All projects were chosen because of the interaction between the landscape and the food element of the entire project. The group felt that there were long and short term objectives and the inclusion of the landscape assessment was a major feature in this analysis.

2a. Landscape Assessment

This was done by a sub group who met regularly with the committee to ensure that projects could be combined. A thorough survey of the surrounding area was undertaken by working with existing documentation, talking to local landowners and field surveying by the group. We did not see the landscape assessment as a separate entity to the whole project.

The relationship between the landscape and ourselves is intimate but complex and thereby not immediately recognisable to most of us. It goes way beyond farming and food production. If we start with the natural environment as influenced by its geology, soil, topography, water, and climate we can better understand our historical land use, settlement, agriculture and communication patterns. We can give perspective and context to where we are now and how we got here and use this knowledge to help develop a consensus pattern for the future.

We must also understand that farming, food production and land use, of course, has an impact on such things but not only in a negative way. We are, after all, a part of nature ourselves and the wildlife of these islands has come to depend on us to manage the environment for it in a way that fits in with our lives.

There is an ebb and flow in the countryside that is often reactive. Food, People and Place provides these particular communities with two major opportunities. The first is the chance to take stock at a local level and re-connect with the landscape in the way that is beneficial and empowering; in a way that engenders local independence. The second is the opportunity to be proactive, to carry the good things that we value into the future. It is not turning back the clock, rather it is picking up something valuable that we may have inadvertently dropped on the journey to where we are now, and carrying it forwards with us from hereon.

Projects: HEADCORN SUSTAINABILITY GROUP IS THE LEAD PARTNER IN ALL PROJECTS

1. HEADCORN LOGO

   Local graphic artist Kevin Harris Promotional Graphics Ltd The aim is to design a logo for Headcorn Produce, which will then be offered to producers of local goods and services. There is no cost at present as Kevin Harris has offered his services as a contribution to the project. It will become self sustaining as producers will pay for the logo to be imprinted on their goods.

2. School Gardening Project

   Headcorn Primary School, Parent and Teachers Association; Headcorn Hardware, Iden Croft Herbs The project is designed to encourage primary school children to grow fruit and vegetables and learn about composting and soil makeup. Costs £300 of which £100 has already been spent providing the school with compost bins, wormery, green cone, gardening tools. Iden Croft Herbs and Headcorn Hardware have offered products at reduced prices. Future funding will come from raising funds via the school. Further work needs to be done seasonally and a committee is being formed to continue the work in conjunction with the school curriculum.

3. Recipe Cards and Green Directory

   Local producers, WI, Eldercare, Local Restaurants. The project is designed to have a green directory with local recipe cards for consumers. The directory will list all local producers, what they produce and where to obtain their goods. It will contain recipes from local producers and local organisations. The cost of the project is estimated to be £1500. We will aim to get advertising to make up any shortfall and we would look for £800 from the FPP budget. It will become self sustaining by selling advertising for future editions. We are fortunate to have several writers in Headcorn Sustainability and those with the ability to put projects like this together.

4. Boards for the Farmers’ Market and community shop

   This will ensure that the farmers’ market has a higher profile and the importance of local produce has a higher profile. Cost £100 The farmers’ market is established and will continue to be a major force within any food project. It is self financing as stall holders pay a fixed fee of £12 per stall.

5. Public Exhibition of the Work of Food People Place and its achievements – School, PTA

   A public exhibition using the information we have gleaned from the assessment, alongside the presentation of ideas developed within the FPP project. This would work well in harmony with the school project already developed. The purpose would be to create greater awareness, interest and appreciation of what makes Headcorn special and encourage empowering attitudes within the community. The cost would be £800. Once the exhibition is established it could be used by other groups within the community and added to.

6. Production of Headcorn DVD.

   School, Art college in Maidstone (to be approached). This will incorporate some of the many photos taken during the assessment plus film footage. The purpose of the DVD would be to create awareness and identity. The DVD would be sold to create funds for the FPP continuing development. Cost would be £500

7. Nature Trail Walk Cards – Footpath group

   These would be developed in collaboration with members of the Footpaths group and using landscape assessment information. A series of cards to encourage responsible walking out into the countryside and appreciation of our landscape as farmland. They would be sold to continue to raise funds for the continuing project. Cost £800

8. Apple Orchard – Local farmers Nick Le Fer and Trudie Thomas

   The planting of an apple orchard within the Headcorn/Smarden boundary links with Headcorn’s historical fruit growing. There has been consultation with Brogdale national fruit collection about the trees best suited to the area and the resulting orchard would supply local shops and local restaurants with traditional fruit. The project will carry on and be managed by the farmers and will be self sustaining once established. Cost £300 donation for the supply of trees

Projects that need long term funding and more research over the next year

9. Development of a Nature Reserve

   Suggested site, a non farmable piece of ‘waste’ land lying between the River Beult and the railway line, within which grows a Buckthorn Tree. This could be purchased and managed as a natural resource. This is a long term project and would need substantial funds to buy the land and manage it. We will be exploring ways to find the funding to buy and manage a piece of land.

10. Mobile milk processing/bottling plant – Produced in Kent

    Ongoing enquiries are still in process to find the costs and viability of such a unit.

11. The building of a modern windmill

    Headcorn is traditionally known for having two windmills, both of which have been destroyed. Members of the group felt that a long term aim would be to reinstate a modern windmill bringing back a tradition long associated with Headcorn and the surrounding area.

12. The Good Shed – Mario Molinari

    Although the group felt this was a worthwhile project, there needs to be a lot more work done on the viability of the project. Headcorn has its own community shop which does a lot of the work of the goods shed albeit on a much smaller scale.

Acknowledgements

Headcorn Sustainability Group would like to thank Ward & Partners (Headcorn branch), Headcorn Hardware, Iden Croft Herbs for their help and support of this project.

Headcorn Sustainability Group would also like to thank all those that contributed to these reports especially Steve Kirk, Sally Musker, Loraine Hodge, Graham Palmer, Lisa Fraser, Greg Veal, Anne Marie Holland and all others who were part of the food group and landscape group, without whom we could not have completed this pilot project.

Penny Kemp
Project Manager
Headcorn Sustainability
June 2006