The BEAST, the trailer and £££...

Well, there we are. After a whole year of trawling around loads and loads of car dealerships, we finally picked up our new van on Tuesday and I'm dead chuffed. Fans of the green megavan (and there are some) needn't worry; it's still alive and happy in semi-retirement. Here's an action photo to prove it:

This time last year I began visiting dealerships to see if I could wangle a free van in return for sponsorship in the rather naïve belief that at least one of the big name local dealers would jump at the chance to put their name to something like FOODCO. Unsurprisingly I got nowhere with this approach, although this is how Jason Robinson got involved with us, so it was well worth it in the end. I'm not sure what the time it's taken to get the van says about my pitching technique (I still haven't had a call from Alan Sugar), but I rather suspect it's more a case of money talks. One by one, the dealers explained to me that if they gave us a free van, they would have to give every group that asked for one a free van. While I think that would be a fantastic help to community groups (and that the manufacturers can afford it), it is obviously no way to run a local dealership!

Now that FOODCO is a social enterprise, I can well understand that stance. Giving free food to people in need is very satisfying for us and really helps the recipients, but think about it. It's not really free. It takes time and money to run something like this and if there is none coming in, you are going to run into trouble. Basically, it all boils down to cash; if we don't have any, we're going to have to stop our service.

The only reasons we were successful in getting our van and trailer this time around is that we have obtained funding from Fylde LSP and also because we now have a business plan to wave around showing that we know what we are doing. As a result, the VW Van Centre at Preston were very kind in helping us out a bit with the price of the van, and Wilkinson's in Darwen were similarly generous with the trailer and are building us a brand new one at a fantastic price.

 

Getting funding is a good way of generating quick income to pay for one-offs. Unfortunately though this will not be enough for us to move forward - how do we pay for ongoing maintenance and running costs, for example? In addition, it's well documented that the government is cutting funding pots, making the bidding process more competitive and meaning that alternative sources of income need to be identified, and this is where our new van and trailer come in. The future for community groups looks bleak if they are not prepared to tackle what many see as anathema to volunteer work. Money. Spreadsheets. Business planning. Horrible, horrible things, but all necessary for survival.

We are hoping to generate income through using the trailer as a mobile shop to visit isolated communities (old people's homes, estates etc.). We are also going to start a paid for veg box scheme and hopefully an outlet in St Annes as well. The income generated from these outlets will then go towards keeping the free deliveries going and helping those most in need in the area. Ultimately we hope that we will become self-sustainable over the next few years. We see this as the only way not only for us to be able to continue with what we do, but to get even better at it.

Food growing at open prisons

HMP North Sea Camp, an open prison in Lincolnshire, featured on the BBC's Countryfile this weekend and gave an insight into the work inmates do there in producing food. This of course was of special interest to me as Fylde's own open prison, HMP Kirkham, have been so fantastic in supporting FOODCO since we started back in June 2010 (hard to believe that that's a whole year and a half ago now!)

Screenshot from Countryfile

Just in case you didn't know already, Kirkham Prison have massive food growing capabilities and produce fruit, veg, meat dairy and bread which they then sell to the public in their farm shop and new bistro *shameless plug*. They also donate fruit and veg to various local causes, including us. 

FOODCO goes to the farm shop every Wednesday morning to pick up boxes of produce that is so fresh that it is usually still wet and muddy. It's then taken back to FOODCO HQ to be sorted into food parcels along with the rest of the day's donations from allotments and of course the stuff grown by our volunteers. With their help we've now managed to make over 1,500 free deliveries.

Another screenshot from Countryfile

Open prisons are criticised by some as being far too lenient because there is opportunity for escape and inmates are allowed visits home or to work outside of the prison walls. This is a very lazy criticism though. Open prisons are an invaluable way of preparing inmates for release. 

Since my weekly visits to the prison began I have been able to learn a lot from the lads staffing the farm shop about what it actually means to be inside even for a short time.  Many have told stories of fellow inmates who are terrified at the thought of release because of the difficulties in re-acquanting themselves with the every day activities and interactions that we take for granted.

FOODCO at HMP Kirkham. (See our video here!)

 

As a result, they value the contact they have with the public and the prospect of a home visit is huge incentive for good behaviour. In addition to this, anyone who has been to Kirkham's farm shop will testify that great pride is taken in their work, demonstrated by a level of service superior to many profesional retail outlets.

It's great to know that skilled workers in open prison are given the opportunity to do community work (and they really do do a lot of it) and that the quality of their work is appreciated. It is also good to see that others are provided with transferable skills that can be used once released and hopefully reduce the chance or re-offending. Isn't that the whole point of a prison in the first place?