Food Forward BC

26/01/2026

It's more important than ever to bring people together to learn, grow, share and skill up.

Inspired by .community.collective in Yorkshire, we're launching a 'Grow Club' at Little Woodbatch for 2026.

The need for building resilience in our food system goes hand in hand with building community: Action is the antidote to despair. Through local Action we can come together in practical ways and rethink how we can show up for each other, nature and Earth systems.

If you are local to Bishop's Castle & surrounding area and are interested in joining, please get in touch! Limited to 10 spaces.

[email protected]

10/01/2026

Can you dig in this year for the BC Community Seed Bank by becoming a Seed Guardian?!

This is a commitment to grow seed specifically to multiply the collection and return it to the seed bank for further growing on and distribution. It involves growing, documenting, saving and processing seed. As a bonus, you'll be joining a community of local growers who value the sacred tradition of carrying on the genetic legacy of our food system for future generations, while honouring the work of our ancestors who brought them this far. Or maybe you just like pretty beans - which is also absolutely fine.

Training is available and is coming up soon! Sign up if you're keen and want to geek out about seeds/learn a new prepper skill.

Check out what is essentially Tinder for Beans on our website and get in touch if there's something that catches your eye. Better yet, visit us at the BC Community Seed Bank coming up in January (3rd Sat of Every Month from 9-1).

https://www.littlewoodbatch.co.uk/seedbank - Bonus, our January Seed Bank Newsletter is also there with info on trainings, resources and other bits.

10/01/2026

I'm hosting three upcoming events in partnership with and with a mission to boost our local food system through skill-building, knowledge-sharing and community connection.

More info is on the Little Woodbatch Website and you can book on to any of these if you follow the event through to Eventbrite: https://www.littlewoodbatch.co.uk/whatson

Note, all are FREE, but spaces are limited, so please if you choose to register please make the commitment to come.

-Walk and talk for new entrants to horticulture/market gardening (Inspired by a chat with !)
-Seed Saving 101 with the Bishop's Castle Community Seed Bank (2 sessions - your registration commits you to both)
-Get Growing 101: Your Resilience Garden

Hope to see you there! Priority given to Bishop's Castle community members.

10/01/2026

Coming up this Monday - Please join us!

LightFoot Enterprises is the local charity which is the 'home' of Going Wild in Bishops Castle, Food Forward BC, CAG: Bishop's Castle Climate Action Group and works on home energy surveys with Marches Energy Agency. This is systems thinking in action, where we're acting locally and thinking globally.

There's a role for everyone in system's transition. We'd love to welcome you as a friend of 'LightFoot'.

17/04/2025

Come see the Bishop’s Castle Community Seed Bank this Saturday from 9-1 at the Town Hall. We’ll have a range of seeds, and will be hosting a plant swap too!

How it works:
Borrow Seed
Grow it (eat some and let some continue to grow on to seed)
Save that seed, then
Share it back to the Seed Bank
The Seed Bank is free if you are local and can share back some of what you have grown and saved - The sustainability of the project relies on this cycle. A monetary donation if you are not able to share back.

The Bishop’s Castle Community Seed Bank is a community resource for local food resilience and skill sharing… Because every bite of food we take started as a seed.

The Aims of the Seed Bank are:
to build a community around sharing knowledge of seed saving, growing and seed sovereignty
to foster food security through inclusive access to open-pollinated seed
to support the species genetic diversity of seed stock outside of corporate ownership
to nurture our mutual connections by saving and sharing seed as an act of care for others
to build local resilience in the face of climate change, crisis, and food system shocks

The Seed Bank is an initiative of Food Forward BC, the Action Group driving our Community Food Resilience Strategy, a part of the BC Climate Action Plan.

01/04/2025

Repost from

Join us for our second webinar in our series on Building Food Resilience across Shropshire.

Relocalising our food system is an essential way to build resilience in communities, support food producers, grow our local economies and get real, quality food to the public.

Our expert speakers will share tips on finding vendors, promoting your market, and creating a successful community hub.

Join Tish Dockerty, manager of the Local to Ludlow Producers’ Market for this webinar on “How to set up and maintain a local farmers’ market”.

We will also be joined by Radley Russell of Birmingham’s Moseley Market and Farm Retail Council Member to speak about what makes a 'Real' Farmers' Market and the importance of urban-rural linkages.

Link is: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/setting-up-running-a-local-farmers-market-in-your-community-tickets-1297195118519?aff=oddtdtcreator

13/02/2025

And seed packing in the Library on Feb 14th from 1230pm!

The Seed Bank will be at the BC Farmer’s Market this Saturday Feb 15th (always the 3rd Saturday of each month!)

This time we’ll be also be hosting a SEED AND PLANT SWAP! Please bring along any extra seeds that you would like to share, as well as any spare plans or cuttings to share out.

It’s time to start planning your garden and starting seeds: Could you 'GROW A ROW’ to produce a bit extra for the Bishop's Castle Community Food Bank this season?

Our friendly team of growers and seed savers at the seed bank stall is always happy to have a chat about what to grow, tips and tricks, saving and more.

If you are interested in learning about seed saving, or planning to save a particular variety of seeds this year offers a great online training course and provides great seed saving info online.

Keep an eye out for upcoming training sessions for new seed savers that will be offered by with Food Forward BC and our seed savers.

13/01/2025

Did you know that Bishop's Castle is the only place in Shropshire with a Community Food Strategy?

Knowing your local food system and having a plan can really help in a crisis.

Maybe you're concerned about how climate change and storms are impacting our yields. Or the increasing price of food. Or what happens when the shelves are empty...

COME HAVE YOUR SAY at our first community food assembly. Let's come together to talk about what we have, want and need. The world is changing... let's get organised.

The food strategy is a way for our community to think about all the ways food touches our lives and supports our health, security and planet.

*What is a community assembly?*
It’s a call to imagine: Share your concerns, experiences and your vision for the future. Bring your ideas and an open mind. This is solutions-focused and everyone has a part to play in reshaping our local food system... “If you EAT you’re IN!”

*Things to consider:*
-What is/isn't working anymore in our system?
-How can we take more control as a community to become self-sufficient in sustainably-grown local food?
-Do we have an emergency plan?
-What stands in our way?
-Who needs support? What kind?
-What tools and assets do we already have?

14/10/2024

Please come along to visit the seed bank at the Farmer's Market this weekend!

It might be late to plant things, but it's the perfect time to drop off saved seeds from your garden so that we can share them out next season.

It would be a big help to our volunteers if you could ensure that your seeds have been properly dried, cleaned of plant debris and labelled with your name, contact details, date and the variety of seed. Any information on its growing needs or story are much appreciated!

Please note, we accept only open-pollinated varieties of seed (Non-F1 Hybrids and Non-GMO seed, since they don't breed true). The seed bank welcomes seed donations for fruits, vegetables, flowers, wildflowers, grains and pulses.

If you would like to get involved in this project to share your knowledge, skills or time, please contact us!

The Bishop's Castle Community Seed Bank is an initiative of Food Forward BC, and a part of our Community Food Resilience Strategy (the only one in Shropshire!) and Climate Action Plan. We are a Project under Lightfoot and working with