A round-up of events and workshops. Get in touch to list your event.
Digital Skills for Online Sales
Tamar Valley Food Hubs, Unit B5, Florence Road Industrial Estate Kelly Bray PL17 8EX
January 14 10.30am-12.30pm
Producers are invited to join a free, government-funded workshop designed to build confidence and skills in selling food and drink online. Delivered by Tamar Valley Food Hubs and the Open Food Network UK, the session will help you set up or improve your online shop, enhance product descriptions and marketing, and make the most of the OFN platform.
Book here. If you can’t make this one, there are four other sessions running in January and February.
Orchard management workshops
Various locations including Truro, St Ives and Liskeard
Various dates starting January 16
Cornwall Council’s Forest for Cornwall project is bringing back its free orchard management workshops with five sessions in January and February. Organised in partnership with Resilient Orchards, each workshop will include talks on orchard planning and maintenance and a practical session on pruning and management techniques. Book here.
Introductory mushroom growing workshop
Poundstock Gildhouse, near Bude, EX23 0AU
Saturday January 17 2-4.30pm
Join the Atlantic Fungi Co-op to discover the fascinating world of mushroom cultivation and learn how to grow your own delicious fungi. Book a ticket here.
Back Garden Forest tree giveaways
Various locations, Various dates in January and February
Thousands of free tree saplings are being given away across Cornwall as part of the Forest for Cornwall project. There are a choice of six native species to choose from: dogwood, hazel, rowan, crab apple, hawthorn and guelder-rose.
Each sapling will come with a leaflet with information on the tree species and how to care for it. Just bring a bag to take your sapling home in. Dates and locations are here
The Innovation Exchange: The Future of Agri-Tech
Penventon Park Hotel, Redruth TR15 1TE, January 27 11am-2pm
This free event offers the chance to connect with other Cornish businesses over lunch. It will feature Jake Shaw-Sutton, from Robotrix, a Cornish robotics R&D company pioneering affordable, autonomous platforms for real-world use. Founded in 2018 in Par, the company is driven by its mission to break down the financial and technical barriers that have limited automation in agriculture and other essential industries. Book here.
SFC Peer-to-Peer session: Scaling Up Agroecologically
Mora Farm, Launceston, February 9 10am-1pm
Join Ollie from Mora Farm, one of Cornwall’s most successful market gardens. Over the past few years, Ollie has transformed 11 acres of pasture into a highly productive, field-scale operation supplying top-quality produce to restaurants in Cornwall and London.
During this farm walk, Ollie will share his growing journey and insights into:
- Equipment and machinery
- Techniques and soil management
- Scaling up while farming agroecologically
This is a great opportunity to ask questions and share knowledge with fellow growers. Book here.
SFC Peer-to-Peer session: Wellfed and Social Prescribing for Community Growers
Newquay Orchard, Monday february 16, 1pm-4pm
A Fresh Approach to Type 2 Diabetes in Cornwall!
A chance for Community Growers to learn about being part of the Wellfed Project and working with their local GP and Social Prescribers.
The Wellfed project has been operating in Cornwall for the past three years. It was pioneered by Dr. Kath Brown from the Green Practice and funded by the NHS, with the aim of exploring a solution to Type 2 Diabetes through the provision of fresh, locally grown vegetables.
The pilot trial involved patients with Type 2 Diabetes from the Narrowcliff Practice working with Newquay Community Orchard. Participants received a weekly vegetable bag and a recipe for 15 weeks, along with cooking and shopping lessons. The first year yielded very positive results, and the project has since expanded to work with GPs and growers across Cornwall.
Now developed into a full 15-week programme, Wellfed includes volunteering opportunities, cookery lessons, weekly vegetable bags, and recipes. Local growers earn an income through their contributions, and feedback from participants continues to be overwhelmingly positive.
This session will cover the project’s background, practical roll out, financial details, and guidance on how to get involved and collaborate with your local GP practice. You will also get the opportunity to see part of Newquay Orchard’s Market Garden, Volunteer Grow Space, Orchards and more. Book here.