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Trading Places

Trading Places is a programme of visits that enables you to see for yourself how other rural social and community enterprises have built successful enterprises to help tackle local problems.

Please scroll down to see our current visits.

For more information or to find out how to host a visit (the programme pays competitive rates to prepare and host a half day visit) or request a tailored visit to a social enterprise or community project of your choice, call Jessie on 0117 314 4653 or email J.Wainwright@dta.org.uk

LfL older people's workTuesday 30th March: Visit to Local Food Links, Bridport, Dorset

This Trading Places visit will explore Local Food Links' award winning Centre for Local Food which provides ethically sourced fresh local food for 23 primary schools and a range of older peoples organisations as well as vocational training and community education.

Local Food Links was established in 1999 to run Farmers Markets in Dorset but in 2006 the local council proposed a central contract for ready meals to be made in a factory in Nottingham, driven to Dorset and then 'regenerated' in primary schools. In response to this LfL developed a partnership with 8 Bridport Primary Schools and proposed setting up a central kitchen which would supply locally and ethically sourced hot meals to the schools.

4 years later, Local Food Links is the first school caterer in the country to be awarded the Food For Life Gold Catering Mark and has diversified to cater for older people's organisations and projects such as:

  • Provision of catering for lunch clubs in community settings
  • Lunch clubs at schools, with interaction between pupils & older people
  • Local Food Clubs (food co-ops) providing access to affordable food
  • Supply of prepared fruit & vegetables into Food Clubs
  • Cookery workshops, e.g. older people sharing skills with younger people, lessons for single men, etc
  • Community kitchen sessions, allowing participants to “batch cook” a number of meals with a group of other people
  • Support for catering services in day centres and care homes
  • Production of meals & soups to be cooked in older people’s homes

With their work regularly featuring in the national press, Working Food Links is a true example of best practice in providing good quality affordable food to local people. This visit will include a presentation from the founder and chief executive, a tour of the centre and a chance to see the lunch clubs in action as well as Q&A and facilitated and informal networking. Lunch is included and travel bursaries are available to cover the cost of travel. The visit is free to rural social and community organisations in the South West Click here to book a place

Visit to St Minver Community Land Trust, North Cornwall: CANCELLED - This trip is due to reorganised for Spring 2010.

self building at St Minver
This trading places visit will explore how local people in Rock, North Cornwall reclaimed the      housing market, providing local homes for local people through a ground-breaking self-build scheme.
Rock, in North Cornwall is famous as a retreat for the rich and famous but such high profile comes at a cost: local people have been completely priced out of the market by wealthy second home owners.
In response, local people set up a 'Community Land Trust' and have provided 12 self-build new homes in a pioneering scheme that means the houses will be held in trust by the community and for the community at 31% of market value in perpetuity. The scheme was so successful they are planning another.
This is a unique opportunity to meet the people behind the scheme including the families who built and now own their own homes. The visit includes:
  • a tour of the site
  • a talk from the chairman
  • Q&A with the families and team behind the scheme
  • facilitated networking
  • access to further sources on information and advice
  • lunch

The visit is free to rural social and community organisations in the South West and bursaries are available to cover the cost of travel. Places are available for those whose job it is to support rural social and community organisations at a cost of £40.

Please email J.Wainwright@dta.org.uk to register your interest in the visit