Local Food Economy
By Isobel Cox
Isobel Cox from Pam Lloyd PR writes for Bristol Good Food 2030 about StreetSmart. If you eat out at participating restaurants during November and December, you can opt to add a voluntary £1 to the bill to raise money for homeless and vulnerable people.
Having previously volunteered with Bristol Food Network, with an aim to support the ‘Bristol Going For Gold’ bid, my existing interest in and understanding of Bristol’s food systems strengthened. People within the Bristol food industry are particularly passionate about driving positive change within the city’s food systems. The wealth of local restaurants who enthusiastically take part in the StreetSmart initiative every year is a testament to that.
StreetSmart takes place every winter in major cities nationwide to raise vital funds for those faced with life on the streets. Since 1998, StreetSmart has partnered with restaurants to support local charities to help homeless people over Christmas, raising more than £11.2 million for homeless and vulnerable people in the UK. With the support of generous partner LandAid, StreetSmart is able to ensure every penny goes to delivering life changing services for young people across the UK.
At restaurants participating in StreetSmart, during November and December, a voluntary £1 donation is added to diners’ bills with every penny going to support local homelessness projects. This year has seen some really exciting new sign ups to the StreetSmart initiative – Root, Pasta Loco, Little Hollows, Snobby’s, Bosco, Marmo and Poco; as well as the fantastic returning supporters:
Bertha’s
Bokman
Box-E
Bulrush
Caper and Cure
Fishers
Harbour House
Harvey Nichols
Klosterhaus
Pizzarova
Rocksalt
Wilsons
Pasta Loco’s Owner, Dominic Borel notes, “working with Streetsmart gives us an opportunity to make a difference to those that really need it. Ben and myself got involved with this great movement over five years ago with Pasta Loco and although there is still plenty to do, we feel we helped the situation. We are looking forward to helping once more help shine light on a very serious situation here in the UK and work towards a solution.”
Jan Ostle, owner of Wilsons agrees, “we witness the problems associated with homelessness daily, right on our doorstep in Bristol so we are pleased to support the incredible work that StreetSmart does to combat it.”
According to new government figures, 6,400 households across England were at risk of ‘no fault’ evictions between January and March 2022. This number is 25 per cent higher than the same period before the pandemic in 2020 and could grow further still as the cost of living crisis bites this winter.
Last year the funds raised by StreetSmart were donated to the charity 1625 Independent People in Bristol. The charity works with up to 500 young people in the Bristol area at a time to prevent homelessness, keep them safe and support them in taking the next steps in their life. Katy Greenlaw, the charity’s communications and community fundraising manager explains, “we heavily rely on the local community for support, and we want our young people to thrive and to get to a point where they need less and less support as they go on. Knowing that your local restaurant is doing something to support you really helps with young people’s identity, knowing they’re being supported by the community around them.“
StreetSmart started last week on the 1st November and runs until the end of December, so in case you needed an excuse to head down to some of Bristol’s best restaurants – this is it!
A full list of the participating restaurants, homeless projects funded, and partners supporting StreetSmart can be found at streetsmart.org.uk.
So, what change do you want to see happen that will transform food in Bristol by 2030? Do you already have an idea for how Bristol can make this happen? Join the conversation now.
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