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You are here: Home > News > Mayor Launches Capital Growth In London

• Mayor launches ‘Capital Growth’ in London

• Date:

  10th November 2008

• Contact:

  Sarah Egerton

• Organisation:

  The Civic Trust

Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, have launched an innovative scheme to turn 2012 pieces of land into thriving green spaces to grow food by 2012.

Capital Growth aims to identify suitable patches of land around London and offer financial and practical support to groups of enthusiastic gardeners or organisations who want to grow food for themselves and for the local community. It is expected that a range of organisations will open up land to the scheme, including borough councils, schools, hospitals, housing estates, utilities companies and parks.

There are already community groups growing food on land across London – Capital Growth will help to expand these organisations as well as encourage new ones. The first organisations to pledge land to Capital Growth are:

• Blenheim Gardens housing estate in Brixton, to be run by social housing residents;
• A large privately owned residential garden in Morden, where local volunteers will grow and share the harvest;
• Latchmere House resettlement prison in Richmond, which will grow food for the canteen and run horticulture and catering training with prisoners to improve skills and employment prospects.

Rosie Boycott said: “London has a good deal of green spaces – some derelict or underused – but not being used as well as they could be. We also have a veritable host of enthusiastic gardeners who are well equipped to turning derelict or underused spaces into thriving oases offering healthy food and a fantastic focus for the community.”

Capital Growth will be run by London Food Link, part of the charity Sustain, who are working for better food and farming to enhance people’s health and welfare and the environment.

For further information, visit: http://www.capitalgrowth.org/