CLIMATE action charity Otley 2030 is inviting people to take part in Otley Food Workshops, which aim to shape the future of our community’s culinary landscape.

There will be two dynamic and engaging evening events during July, and the first event is on Tuesday, July 11, from 6.30pm to 9pm.

During each session, attendees can enjoy a complimentary dinner, listen to talks by successful Leeds community food groups and share experiences and ideas during group discussions.

These events are supported by the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council, and hosted by Otley 2030 whose goal is to make Otley a carbon-zero, sustainable and fair town by the 2030s, and to ensure that this transition is made in a just and democratic way, involving all areas of our local community. As part of this the charity looks to work with local education institutes to give young people the chance to interact with real world issues and work on solutions to help them create a thriving future.

The sessions will be led by master’s student Rachel Jones, who is currently undertaking her MSc in sustainable cities at the University of Leeds. This research, as well as creating recommendations for the future of food in Otley, will form part of her dissertation project.

In the first session, attendees will be invited to share their experiences, opinions, and aspirations regarding the town’s food options. There will be discussions around food buying and cooking habits, areas needing improvement,and ideas for enhancing Otley’s future foodscape. There will also be a guest talk by Pete Tatham, from Hyde Park Source. Hyde Park Source work in Leeds to improve health and wellbeing, and a lot of their work involves food-growing, cooking, eating and designing edible spaces.

The second session, which will run on Tuesday, July 25, from 6.30pm-9pm, will explore the connection between food and community.

To conclude the sessions, attendees will envision an ideal community food growing site, and there will also be another exciting and inspirational presentation from a guest speaker.

Delicious, free, vegan food will be on offer at both workshops, courtesy of Otley’s own Green Door catering company.

Rebecca St Clair, lecturer in sustainable food systems at Leeds University, explained more about Rachel and the impact of her studies: “The sustainable cities MSc at the University of Leeds is designed to equip students with the skills and leadership abilities that they will need to address some of the biggest problems facing society.

“Students learn about a range of systems that are needed to transform our cities into sustainable cities for the future, including energy systems, housing, mobility, urban ecosystems and food.

“It’s really important that students engage with real world problems and develop an understanding of linkages between different processes and people within urban systems.

“Our work with Otley 2030, which is supported by Leeds City Council, gives our students invaluable opportunities to learn how to engage with community members in a meaningful way and to help to build a vision for a more sustainable and just future.”

To book a place on the two workshops, go to otley2030.com/post/futureoffoodinotley

For more information on any of the projects organised by Otley 2030, go to otley2030.com or email hello@otley2030.com