Tuesday 28, September 2010

WEN NEWS September 2010

After a busy few months preparing and launching our new Spice It Up! project, which has had a wonderful response from participants in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, the team at WEN is now setting its mind to some exciting events between now and the end of the year, including a joint fundraising extravaganza with social enterprise Sweet Notions.

The WEN blend of food, culture and ideas

Our next Culture Kitchen event will take place on World Food Day on Saturday 16 October, hosted by the South East Essex WEN group in Southend. Culture Kitchen brings together food-growers of different religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds to share their experiences of food-growing and enjoy a shared meal produced from the harvest of their plots. Workshops will cover a broad range of topics including seed-saving, natural cosmetics, gender and climate change, wild food foraging, and herbs for healing.

The annual WEN Local Groups' Retreat will happen the following day on Sunday 17 October, also in Southend. All WEN groups and members are invited to both events. Please contact Kate Metcalf for further information and to book your place at localgroups@wen.org.uk or keep an eye on our website.

Spicing up east London

After its launch in June, the latest phase of WEN’s Spice It Up! weekly training got off to a budding start at the Ocean Somali Community Association on 15 September, with 20 women attending to learn how to grow their own herbs, salad, fruit and veg.

Further courses will be taking place in November and early 2011. Participants receive four weeks’ free training (six hours per week) in organic food growing skills; a certificate of achievement; a free food-growing starter kit; and a chance to become a Local Food Ambassador.

You don’t need to have experience of food-growing to join the programme; the only requirements are an interest in food-growing and regular attendance at the training sessions and volunteer placements.
Priority for places is given to women living in Tower Hamlets.
Childcare can be provided or reasonable expenses reimbursed if arranged beforehand.

Participants must contact WEN in advance to arrange booking, as spaces are limited: Call the Local Food team on 020 7481 9004 or email food@wen.org.uk.

We also welcome Kirsten Downer to the Spice it Up! team. Kirsten will be organising local networking events, volunteer opportunities and trips to food-growing spaces, for previous Spice it Up trainees and women food-growers in London. A brand new Spice It Up! newsletter has also been launched, with details about the programme; growing tips; seasonal recipes; and more. E-mail food@wen.org.uk or phone 020 7481 9004 if you would like to be sent the newsletter, which can also be read on the website.

WEN gets glitzy!

WEN is very pleased to be teaming up with new social enterprise Sweet Notions for a glamorous fundraising event in November. Sweet Notions, which launched in London on 16 September, collects donated fashion accessories and repurposes them through workshops and boutique events, channelling the profits back into social causes.

Sweet Notions’ joint event with WEN will aim to raise money for both organisations. The evening affair will include the sale of recycled accessories; complimentary goodie bags at the door; WEN natural beauty demonstrations; and other attractions. More details will be e-mailed out and posted on our website, but if you have questions, you can also e-mail our excellent new fundraising and events volunteer, Regena Miah, at miahwen@gmail.com. We would love to see as many WEN supporters as possible on the night.

In the meantime, if you have old accessories (jewellery, hats, scarves and bags, but not clothes) that you no longer want or need, please donate them. If you can, please send them to, or drop them off at, the WEN office, 20 Club Row, London E2 7EY (Mon-Thurs). Alternatively, get in touch with Sweet Notions to find out other ways you might be able to donate your unwanted items. For more information about Sweet Notions, go to http://www.sweetnotions.org/ , or view this video link: http://vimeo.com/14325030