Nourishing generations and fuelling longevity: What role does food play?

Date: Thursday, 21st November 2024
Time: 11:45 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: Appleby Blue Almshouse, Bermondsey

Event Overview
Join us for an inspiring event that explores how food can act as a powerful connector across generations and communities. Hosted at Appleby Blue Almshouse, this event dives into the pivotal role that shared meals and cooking can play in fostering social cohesion, healthy ageing, and community building. With a panel of experts in food, community health, and social enterprise, we’ll delve into the impact of food on wellbeing and the ways we can create inclusive, vibrant communities.

Appleby Blue’s community kitchen has become a cornerstone for resident engagement and intergenerational connection. From farm-to-table initiatives with tomatoes grown in our rooftop garden to cooking sessions with local schools, youth groups, and organizations like Golden Oldies and Migrateful, our kitchen is truly the heart of Appleby Blue.

Meet Our Speakers

Introduced by Martyn Craddock, Chief Executive of United St. Saviour’s Charity
With a career rooted in the food industry, Martyn has robust experience seeing community charities through transformation. Martyn has been instrumental in the high-profile and pioneering development of Appleby Blue which exemplifies his commitment to modernising social housing for older people in cities through good design, community engagement, research and the power of food.

Claire Pritchard
CEO, GCDA, Chair - London Food Board, Trustee, Borough Market
Claire leads impactful initiatives in food, social enterprise, and public health. As CEO of Greenwhich Co-operative Development Agency, which specialises in developing social enterprises, she is a highly respected provider of social enterprise, public health and training programmes as well as a 20 year history in the food and catering sectors. Claire is a founding member of the London Food Board and a trustee at Borough Market.

Dr. Sophia Amenyah
Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, Assistant Professor in Nutrition, Northumbria University
Dr Sophia Amenyah is a Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, Assistant Professor in Nutrition and a Dunhill Medical Trust Research Fellow at Northumbria University, UK. She has interdisciplinary expertise in both biomedical and social sciences. She is committed to including experts-by-experience and community development in research. Her research centres on co-production and the use of interdisciplinary methods to understand the biological and social determinants of nutrition and to co-create community-based food models with underserved communities.

Jess Thompson
Founder & Co-CEO, Migrateful
Before setting up Migrateful, Jess supported refugees and migrants on the front line in different settings across Morocco, Mexico, Spain, France and the UK. In 2017, she completed the Year Here Fellowship, which gave her the training and network to set up Migrateful, age 25. She was featured on the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 List, the 2020 Women of the Year List, and the 2021 Great British Entrepreneur Awards List, in recognition of her achievement in founding Migrateful. After five years of leading Migrateful as the CEO, in October 2022, she stepped back into a part-time role whilst completing a master’s in International Migration and Public Policy at the LSE. In September 2023, she returned to Migrateful full-time as Co-CEO, leading alongside Vickie Wambura.

Anna Taylor

Executive Director, The Food Foundation

Anna Taylor is the Executive Director of the Food Foundation, a UK-based charity focused on tackling food insecurity, improving dietary health, and influencing food-related policy for a fairer, sustainable food system. With a background in nutrition and public health, Anna has dedicated her career to addressing food inequality and the challenges surrounding healthy, accessible, and affordable food for all. She has led the Food Foundation in championing initiatives such as the Veg Power campaign and the Children's Right2Food Charter, aiming to improve food environments for children across the UK.

Appleby Blue's Kitchen: A Heart of Community Connection
At Appleby Blue, our community kitchen fosters connections across generations. We’ve partnered with organizations like Golden Oldies, Migrateful, and Man with a Pan to support socially inclusive activities that nourish skills, health, and social bonds. Our kitchen hosts resident cooking sessions, gardening projects, and skills workshops with local schools, all designed to strengthen community through food.

At This Event
We won’t just talk about the role of food—we want you to experience it. Our residents will prepare a delicious veggie pasta bake, salad and tirmasu for all attendees to enjoy. This shared meal will offer a firsthand taste of the community spirit at Appleby Blue.

Why Attend?

• Discover how food-centric activities can create inclusive, healthy communities.
• Gain insights into co-designed food programs that improve wellbeing and social cohesion.
• Enjoy a shared lunch prepared by our residents, allowing you to experience the topic discussed firsthand

Event Details
Spaces are limited. If you sign up, please plan to attend as we’ll be closing sign-ups a few days prior to finalise meal preparations. This event is ideal for public health professionals, urban developers, policymakers, designers, researchers, local community group leaders, chefs, and anyone interested in community-building through food.

Timings:

11.45: Arrivals

12.00: Talk begins

12.45 - 2pm: Lunch

Host or Publisher United St. Saviour's Charity