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Two initiatives to have been supported by Making Local Food Work have been crowned winners in top national food awards, and three others receiving recognition.

Brockweir and Hewelsfied Village Shop and The True Food Co-operative in Berkshire have been named Best Local Food Retailer and Best Retail Initiative respectively in BBC Radio 4’s Food and Farming Awards.

The Awards, which took place yesterday at a private ceremony and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 tomorrow, Friday 25th November, celebrate the people and organisations behind the best of British food, and all entries are nominated by BBC audiences. The winners were selected by a panel of four expert judges.

Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop has been supported by Making Local Food Work through the Look for Local project, which helps local producers connect with local shops to increase communities’ access to local food, whilst supporting the local economy. A fantastic example of what can be achieved by communities, Brockweir’s Shop Manager, Alison Macklin, regularly speaks to other communities about the success of the shop to audiences at events and conferences. Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop was also crowned ‘Britain’s Best Farm Shop’ by The Times in a recent poll. 

The True Food Co-operative in Berkshire has received support from the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups strand of Making Local Food Work, which helps people to set up and run food co-ops across England.

The recognition comes after a recent flurry of wins and nominations of community food enterprises in top awards; Also named in The Times’ Best Farm Shops were Low Sizergh Barn (12th place), Durleighmarsh Farm Shop (22nd) and Rolvenden Farmers’ Market (27th), all of which have received support through the Making Local Food Work programme.

Low Sizergh Farm is home to the community food project Growing Well, a social enterprise which helps people recovering from mental health problems. It has been supported by the Community Supported Agriculture strand of the Making Local Food Work programme. Durleighmarsh Farm supplies fresh fruit and vegetables to Winchester Farmers’ Market, which has received specialist marketing and retail advice through Making Local Food Work’s farmers’ markets strand. This strand has also helped Kent Farmers’ Market, the umbrella body for Rolvenden Farmers’ Market.

The Observer Food Monthly Awards also took place recently, and saw The Community Farm being named runner up for the ‘Best Independent’ in the South West. The Community Farm has also been supported through Making Local Food Work’s Community Supported Agriculture strand.

To see the full list of winners in the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/ffa/2011/winners/.

Pictured above is Alison Macklin of Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop.

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