Last night I opened the box with all the post it notes and survey forms from the Growing Futures Field Day. I wondered what would jump out! And found fun ideas. Thanks to everyone who wrote them down – or drew them.

Really enjoyed reading it all. Here’s what you said.

Incredible Edible Mytholm – Growing Futures Survey Results

14 people took part in this Survey on 30th March.

Here are the results – not everyone answered each question.

Should Incredible Edible Mytholm set up the Growing Futures business?

1) Everyone would like to see Incredible Edible Mytholm to go ahead with our aim of setting up the community-owned Growing Futures sustainable food business on the Mytholm Works site, if we can show that it’s likely to be economically viable.

2) Everyone would like to see Growing Futures include:

• intensive, permaculture food growing

• retail/wholesale(?) market for local produce

All but one (who didn’t know) would like to see Growing Futures include sustainable food-based education and training, including children’s natural play areas

12 out of 14 people would like Growing Futures to include a “veg tourism” visitor attraction, including eco-themed arts and music venue. 1 person did not want this. I person didn’t know.

11 out of 14 people would like Growing Futures to include an eco-hotel and glamping facilities. 3 people said they didn’t know, including 1 who said they would need to know more in order to make up their mind.

3) Asked to say if they liked some aspects of the proposed Growing Futures business more than others, and why, 6 people commented:

(Each numbered comment is from a different respondent)

i) Not sure we need more (hotel) accommodation. This bit doesn’t fit as well with the rest. How about a restaurant instead? Use the food being grown, do cooking courses based on wholesome real food etc…?

ii) Eco hotel – great for town

Education + childrens natural play areas – I have a 3 year old and would be great to be able to play in these areas.

Music venue – outside would be good!

iii) All sound fine

iv)  veg tourism attraction yes, but not as important as the intensive, permaculture food growing, retail/wholesale(?) market for local produce + sustainable food-based education and training, including children’s natural play areas.

I do believe that in the not so far future we will have an urgent need to grow local food. It will become a necessity. It also gives me hope for the future of the world and of britain to think that this maybe possible.

Eco themed art & music is not esential to survival but it’s nice. I think you need to sort out the other stuff first before you worry about art & music

v) Local produce market

vi) Accommodation needed. Eco-hotel and campsite and/or glamping

Do you grow food?

4) 8 people said they grow food, 3 people said they didn’t

5) All 8 food growers said they grow food as an individual/household.

7 said this was for their own consumption, free of charge. 1 did not say for what purpose.

2 people said they know about permaculture growing methods, I person said they know “a bit”, 8 people said they don’t

No one said they use permaculture growing methods; 8 people said they don’t.

1 person commented: we don’t really use permaculture growing methods. We both work full time so we just do our best at weekends

6) Asked if the Growing Futures proposed permaculture growing business would be useful to them in any way,  4 people said Yes, 5 people said Don’t know. 1 person said “maybe”

1 person commented: I would like to be able to buy locally grown food and it would be useful to my spiritual health knowing that it is happening

What might a fair sustainable food system look like and does this matter to you?

7) 6 people described what they think a fair, sustainable food system for the UK might look like.  Each numbered comment is from a different person

i) Start with bringing inactive land back into use (see www.progress.org) give people access to grow own food (no clawback from dole! Unlike other work). Share skills:traditional gardening and new environmental science.

ii) As much locally grown/produced food as possible. +food purchased from nearest supplier + if imported, fairtrade

iii) Less use of fuel to transport food from thousands of miles away. A greener happier landscape. A more holistic landscape. More employment £.

iv) Local community projects

v) Living wages for everyone involved in production & sale of food. As much food as possible locally produced. Importing food of products we can grow to be reduced (or stopped).

vi) Support for UK farms. Reflection of food miles in pricing structure.

8) 7 people said it matters to them what a fair sustainable food system for the UK might look like.

1 person said it doesn’t matter to them.

1 person doesn’t know if it matters to them or not.

1 person commented: Now is the time! The job based economy is failing.

9) Asked if there was anything else they’d like to say about the proposed Growing Futures community-owned sustainable food business and/or fair, sustainable food,  3 people commented:

•  A good idea!
•  I think it’s a brilliant idea
• Much better idea than current proposed hotel/supermarket for site. More Hebden, part of local culture as opposed to degrading local culture

10) 1 person had a question:

How do you manage to pursuade the property owners to allow you to do this as opposed to selling the land to developers who want to create houses and hotels on this site? How do you pursuade the landowners to do something decent like this rather than just lining their own pockets?

The answer to this is that the site owners have said they are happy to sell the land to Growing Futures, in the event that we can show that the community-owned business is economically viable and raise the dosh to buy the site.

Post it notes:

The post it notes (and a few drawings) were fun to read and think about. Some really great ideas in here that help flesh out the vision for Growing Futures.

Some suggestions fall into more than one category, so they’re listed in each one – so, some repetition

Growing suggestions:

• You can tern it into a woodland and a garden
• Grow specialist foods ie courgette floweres which are edible and very tasty
• beekeeping
• plant different kinds of apples and trees also strawberries ( Sabelle age 6)
• grow watercress in the flowing water
• more undercover space  for growing activities, considering our climate!

Tourism/recreation suggestions:

• Camping car/motor home access to parking – over 6m length, no height barrier. Could be overnight ‘aire’ type stop with facilities and/or part of the Brit Stop network
• camping/eco pods
• cafe/restaurant
• community BBQ
• outdoor cooking classes
• permaculture education centre/classes
• Tree Houses!
• run beekeeping/gardening courses
• Build links to Heptonstall making Granny Wood a part of the scheme – woodland management, maintain paths,bridleway – promote to village residents
• a place for families to visit and get involved in “permaculture/agriculture”

Food processing suggestions

• microbrewery 
• provide bread/meals to schools/care homes etc
• The Bakehouse, Calder’s community bakery, interested in having an ‘eco bakery’ on the site. Please let us know your plans and we’d be happy to input our ideas

Sustainable food education suggestions:

• permaculture education centre/classes
• have special school dinnners as informative one-offs 
• outdoor cooking classes
• run beekeeping/gardening courses
• a place for families to visit and get involved in “permaculture/agriculture”

Transport/logistics/buildings suggestions:

• Use of the canal for goods transportation
• Build links to Heptonstall making Granny Wood a part of the scheme – woodland management, maintain paths,bridleway – promote to village residents
• 2 storey building for education/training/workshops/community activities. Hall below, smaller rooms above incorporating toilets and disabled lift
• a space to generate rental income/workshop income etc? (see workshop space at Harlow Carr, big I know but a smaller scale version of? Lottery funding available. Could Royal Horticultural Society provide advice re – workshop income, building etc, for a much smaller site?

Uncategorisable suggestions:

• the solution to world hunger – GM Foods -No, Give the people land -Yes (ed: for quite a while I  was struggling with the handwriting here and read  “land” as “lamb”…that set me wondering! Did they want lamb on a plate? or running around?)
• ‘slow’ food movement
• Great idea, so much better than the supermarket and hotel proposal for this site!