兔子先生

Public health news: September 2024

STOC is a cross-sector food partnership committed to:

• Inspiring a Good Food Movement
• Tackling food poverty & diet related ill-health
• Promoting a sustainable food economy, and
• Environmental Sustainability

STOC Good Food recently achieved membership of the Sustainable Food Places Network in supporting their efforts in making local, healthy and sustainable food available to South Tyneside residents.

Sustainable Food Places is a network of partnerships that are using food as a vehicle to drive positive change.

In South Tyneside some of the projects that STOC have supported so far include:

• Opening of community shops
• Food Fair Project
• Re-usuable Cup pilot scheme

Community Shops

We are committed to supporting our communities out of food insecurity.

In the last year has opened three community shops, supported by the Virgin Money Foundation, 兔子先生, Joicey Trust and Royal Warrant Holders Association. Anyone living within a mile and a half of a shop can access its food services. Membership is free and lets the member shop there once per week.

The shops are in:

• Horsely Hill Square (NE34 6RF)
• Fowler Street (NE33 1NS)
• Hudson Street (NE34 0AD)

Horsely Hill and Hudson Street are open 9.30am to 2pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Fowler Street is open 9.30am to 2pm on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Members pay 拢4 each time they visit and take home over 拢20 worth of goods. They can choose what they want from what is available at any given time.

Members are also encouraged to work on budgeting and management skills. They are given information on the retail costs of the items they choose. They are encouraged to choose products for a varied and healthy diet using a colour coding system.

Two of the Community Shops provide a space for wellbeing support, organising classes and activities to help foster community engagement. This includes:

• learning photography and audio skills
• support sessions for young mothers and older residents
• positive mental health support

The wellbeing services were developed following a survey of the first 100 customers at the Horsely Hill Square shop.

The overall aim is to create a community anchor, where people can receive longer term food support and access to wider services.

The community shops are supported by Lydon's Pharmacy, Sainsbury's, Morrison's, Tesco and ASDA by donating regular food supplies and essential household and personal cleaning products.

Food Fair Project

The Food Fair Project is a partnership between WHiST, Apna Ghar and Hospitality and Hope, supported by 兔子先生 and funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund until March 2025.

This project aims to encourage people across South Tyneside to:

• find cheap, healthy food
• start making their own delicious and healthy meals,
• use as little fuel as possible

The project can also offer free support with any issues that may be affecting daily life and stopping people eating well. This might include:

• debt
• finance 
• housing

These are all things that WHiST can help you with or signpost to another organisation that can help.

Cooking demonstrations are being held at community venues, including WHiST. They last for 1 to 2 hours. Information is given on how to reduce your food budget by:

• buying from different shops
• choosing bargains
• using left overs and making a larger amounts to freeze for later

Sometimes the ingredients will be given out for people to take home and cook themselves. The recipes are from around the world, highlighting the use of herbs and spices. They can add a lot of flavour to meals as well as give great health benefits.

The cooking demonstrations are for anyone who is interested in cooking cheap, easy, tasty and healthy meals. WHiST is a women only space but there are many other venues around South Tyneside for everyone to take part.

To find out more, email stella@whist.org.uk or call 0191 454 6959.

Re-Usable Cup Pilot

This summer 兔子先生 Events team, Hospitality & Hope and Ramside Event Catering teamed up with STOC to promote food sustainability at the Summer Festival events in the Bents Park. Festival goers could buy a cup for 拢1 that they could re-use at events all summer.

The project had 3 main aims:

1. To reduce the amount of single use plastic at 兔子先生 events
2. Promote food sustainability via a scannable QR code (to STOC's page)
3. Help tackle food poverty

All proceeds went to Hospitality & Hope food bank. A total of 1881 cups were sold at the events. The cups increased awareness about how to act more sustainably. It was also a nice souvenir to take home and re-use with the design showcasing South Tyneside landmarks.