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I began my career as a management consultant through the graduate recruitment programs at McKinsey and Accenture, but I soon became disillusioned with the corporate sector. While the work involved problem-solving through research and analysis, it often lacked the external wisdom gained from experience and relational work. This led me to UnLtd, where I supported social enterprises in a consultancy role that aligned more closely with my values. I retrained as a social worker and grew increasingly interested in broader systemic issues surrounding social justice and the environment.
When the opportunity at GFO arose, it perfectly blended my personal interests in food and health with a focus on systems change and place-based work.
GFO was established in 2014 as a network, emerging from informal collaborations between local organisations like Low Carbon Hub, Cultivate, and individuals engaged with the National Sustainable Food Places Scheme. This scheme provided a framework that matched our local ambitions for change across six areas of work.
The network expanded into a membership structure comprising organisations committed to fostering a better food system for Oxford. We evolved into a purpose-driven limited company, with members including food retailers, growers, community groups, hospitality businesses, local councils, and other institutions. Members sign a charter and pledge food-related actions beneficial for people, the planet, and the community. In 2020 we recognised the need for a county-wide approach to local food systems and became Good Food Oxfordshire, embracing organisations and stakeholders from all of the Districts, as well as the City. In 2022, Oxfordshire proudly received the Silver award in the national Sustainable Food Places Award Scheme.
Our aim is to reconnect people with their food by developing a better understanding of where and who it comes from- research demonstrates that this fosters healthier eating and supports the local economy.
We view ourselves as a backbone organisation that supports our members—grassroots organisations, businesses, and institutions—in working collaboratively and effectively. We help our members through making connections, measuring and sharing data, research and reports, and campaigns to build public engagement. In many ways, we’ve been engaged in Community Wealth Building before it became a recognised concept.
We brought people together to develop and review the Oxfordshire Food Strategy. We facilitate food action working groups in each of Oxfordshire’s districts, addressing local priorities in production, consumption, distribution, health, and sustainability. We also work with the network of over 80 community food services to support better collaborations between people involved in food and local communities.
One recent project is our OXFarmToFork initiative. OxFarmToFork is transforming how institutions in Oxfordshire source food - connecting local schools, universities and hospitals directly with local nature-friendly and socially responsible producers. Initially we attempted to work with schools, but pivoted to work with Oxford University Colleges as they offered more budget and contracting flexibility. Many of their chefs are passionate about food. We initially partnered with a few small local farmers including Sandy Lane Farm and Blacklands Organics—practising agro-ecological methods with no chemicals and minimal soil disruption, enabling them to supply directly to the colleges. Our collaboration has since expanded to around 18 local growers supplying 18 colleges. GFO has played a vital role in growing the market with the colleges, allowing small local producers to scale their operations. We’ve also sourced bread from local providers like Proof and Missing Bean and ice lollies from No Vice Ice –locally purpose driven food enterprises. Deliveries are managed by the local sustainable transport enterprise, Velocity.
GFO’s “backbone” role in this project involves building relationships, campaigning, and facilitating collaboration among stakeholders, while also handling much of the ordering and administrative tasks.
Through this project we’ve fostered relational approaches, connecting chefs and farmers. This has shifted perceptions; chefs now welcome produce that may have a bit of mud or is slightly more expensive, understanding who grows it and the effort that goes into fulfilling their orders. Engaging bursars and principals from the colleges has been crucial. Each college invested £2,000 in infrastructure—like polytunnels and netting—to boost production capacity for small growers. This investment was a significant demonstration of trust, leading to increased production and a shift to twice-weekly deliveries.
Our local food suppliers may not always compete on price (but often they do), but they excel in quality and social and environmental value across various dimensions:
So, one major challenge we face is developing a balanced scorecard for community wealth-building efforts- that considers a wider definition of value. Viability hinges on true cost accounting - social, environmental and health value, alongside economics. We need a reporting framework that informs budget decisions based on this broader concept of value. This necessitates a shift in our economic perspective.
There are lots of useful organisations supporting social, busienss and community work - but some are too remote from our members, and engaging with so many different bodies can be draining of energy and scant time resources. Organisations include the LEP and Oxfordshire BIPC, CAG, Aspire, OSEP, District and Countywide officers, Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership and Owned by Oxford. It requires the right profile and authority as well and an understanding of the relational work needed on the ground.
Invest in School FoodWe need more investment in school food. Research shows that increasing the school food budget is a smart economic choice in the long term, especially when considering the benefits to health and productivity. Closing the gap between current school food budgets and the actual cost of providing healthy, sustainable meals would improve students’ learning, long-term nutrition, and health. It would also enable schools to source food from local initiatives like OxFarmToFork. This approach would keep more money within the community and benefit local residents.
Bottom-Up Investment
Change cannot come from the top down. Councils currently lack the resources to fund many small enterprises directly, but they can support organisations like GFO to implement bottom-up solutions that prove concepts and build relationships. We often expend considerable energy chasing small funding opportunities, trying to align them with our strategic objectives. We need the government and larger institutions to collaborate with us, providing stability and alleviating the pressure of constantly seeking multiple small funding streams.
Support for Community Wealth Building
The landscape of organisations supporting this work can be confusing. We need a countywide one-stop shop.Could Oxfordshire County Council bring together a hub for community wealth building? Can we clarify who is developing the procurement framework and streamline the disbursing of grants and contracts to community enterprises? Can we clarify what specialist and tailored support is needed and who is doing effective relational work on the ground?
Value Accounting and Social Value Procurement FrameworksWe would like a way to present our social, environmental and health impacts in a way that aligns with the reporting requirements of our stakeholders. This would encourage them to invest in more of our work as they can report the ‘value’ to their stakeholders. One idea was that we believe GFO’s social value could be “traded” if it were measured in a way appealing to large businesses bidding for procurement contracts where they are required to report the social value they deliver. These businesses often struggle to demonstrate the kind of social and environmental value we can create. Could we trade our social value in a way similar to carbon trading schemes?
This case study is part of the 'Community wealth building: big conversations' project. These case studies are in the voice of the people who gave them. They seek to honestly present their successes, as well as the challenges of trying to build a more just, sustainable economy and community. We encourage conversation - so if you want to get in touch and talk more to any of the groups, please do.
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