Food sustainability

Providing affordable, healthy and nutritious food for all.

Improving the way we produce and share food matters to everyone. 

The way we grow, supply, and enjoy food affects all of us. When we get it right, everyone can have access to affordable, nutritious meals, while we look after our environment and support local communities. It’s about creating a food system that’s fair, sustainable, and built to last for generations.

Cotswold Food Network

The Cotswold Food Network (CFN) is an informal partnership across the district that helps improve access to food.

It works by different groups sharing ideas and working together. The aim is to make sure everyone in the area can get food that is healthy and affordable and seeks to address cost of living challenges.

This joined-up way of working helps the local environment, supports the economy, and improves wellbeing.

Free and low-cost cookery classes in the Cotswolds

There are several organisations that provide free or low-cost cookery classes in the Cotswolds. With a focus on good nutrition and affordability, these classes have a range of aims, such as improving participants confidence, knowledge, and skills in preparing food for themselves and their families. There are usually separate courses for adults and for children. This guide outlines the classes that are available.

Free Or Low Cost Cookery Classes Cotswold Food Network - pdf - 261 Kb

Worrying about Money? 

Cotswold Worrying About Money Leaflet - pdf - 583 Kb

This bespoke guide for anyone seeking money advice and support in Cotswold, is part of a national series produced with the Independent Food Aid Network. It guides you through where to get help from a wide range of local and national organisations, dependent on the type of assistance needed.  

The interactive version of Worrying about Money is available at www.worryingaboutmoney.co.uk/cotswold

Guide for food procurement for events and meetings

Food Procurement Guide Cotswold Food Network - pdf - 149 Kb

For people, groups, and organisations, arranging food and refreshments for events and meetings, this concise Cotswold Food Network guide suggests factors to consider and makes a range of recommendations when procuring food. The guidance is also aimed at helping support our local economy and reduce the impacts of climate change.   

Mini guide to allotments 

Allotments A Brief Introduction - pdf - 98 Kb

This is a mini guide about allotments from Cotswold Food Network. It takes a whistle stop tour through some background to allotments,  what they are, applying for one and sharing produce. There are also links to sources of much more detailed information.

Community food growing guidance

Aimed at community food growing organisations in the Cotswolds, in spring 2024, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group have compiled two informative concise guidance leaflets:  

Community Growing Resources - pdf - 1.22 Mb

Community Growing Funding - pdf - 1.11 Mb

Cotswold Food Network’s Small Grants

As of early June 2026, Cotswold Food Network is pleased to say that the original £20,000 grant has been almost fully spent with a wide range of organisation doing work to improve food equity, supported. However, we are delighted that an extra £10,000 has been added to the fund. If you are interested in finding out more or making an application, please use the details at the end of this section.

The background

In August 2025, Cotswold Food Network is pleased to announce the launch of its new small grants.

An outline of the grant is below:

• The grant is for distribution across Cotswold district.

• It is aimed at supporting a project or organisation that may not require a significant sum and may not be able to access mainstream funding offers.

• We are not prescriptive with the purpose of this funding only that it must be of direct benefit to the community served.

• An applicant must be a ‘not for profit organisation’.

• The grant pot is relatively small, at £20,000 and as implied above, not only aimed at food initiatives or organisations.

To make this grant available to all types of organisations we do have options should you not be a constituted organisation with your own bank account. Equally if you do not have a safeguarding policy or public liability insurance in place, we will endeavour to support you with that process.

Applications are welcome for requests over £100 to the region of £2,000 – this is not an upper limit, but the purpose of the pot is enabling funding into communities that may not be able to apply for support elsewhere and therefore we would expect that to be reflected in the sum applied for.

Upon receipt of a complete application, you will hear back for funding under £500 within 21 days and for funding over this amount please allow 28 days.

The hyperlink to the application form can be found here.

For all enquiries about the grant, please email:

[email protected]

Crowdfund Cotswold 

Crowdfund Cotswold is a funding tool that enables community and charitable organisations to seek pledges of money for their projects, using crowdfunding as a method.

In addition, if the organisation achieves its crowdfunding target (and its project meets the council's criteria), Cotswold District Council will increase the funding by up to 40%, to a maximum of £10,000. 

Spacehive is the digital platform for the programme and there is more guidance and information about how this works below:

• Crowdfund Cotswold website: https://www.spacehive.com/crowdfundcotswold 
• Email support: [email protected] 

 

Contact and more information

For any food sustainability related enquiries, please contact: 

• Martin Hawkins, Community Support Officer – Food Sustainability
• Email: [email protected]