Incredible Edible Todmorden

Incredible Edible Todmorden began with a simple question: What if a town could feed itself? This idea sparked a movement that has not only revitalized the town of Todmorden but has also inspired hundreds of similar initiatives across the UK and thousands worldwide. Their motto,

"If you eat, you're in!",

encapsulates their inclusive and accessible philosophy.

Incredible Edible: A Very English Solution to Food Waste | Trashed

Mission and Ethos: Grow, Learn, Buy Local – For a Kinder, More Connected Community

Incredible Edible Todmorden operates on a model often referred to as "three spinning plates":

1. Community (Growing Food to Share): This is the most visible aspect. Volunteers plant fruit, vegetables, and herbs in "propaganda gardens" across public spaces – outside police stations, at train stations, in schoolyards, along canal paths, and in neglected verges. Anyone is welcome to harvest the food for free. This transforms public realm into a shared larder and sparks conversations.
2. Learning (Educating and Sharing Skills): The initiative is passionate about passing on horticultural and food preparation skills. They work with schools, run cooking classes in various community settings, and foster a culture of shared knowledge, particularly between older generations with gardening wisdom and younger generations.
3. Business (Supporting the Local Economy): Incredible Edible actively encourages and supports local food businesses. By raising awareness of local produce and making it visible, they aim to strengthen the local food economy. This includes promoting local egg sellers, encouraging cafes to use local ingredients, and fostering new local food enterprises.

Their core values include:

• Being Positive: Believing in the power of small actions and individual potential to create positive change.
• Being Local: Focusing on local solutions to global problems, fostering local passion and purchasing.
• Being Connected: Prioritizing people and connection over just plants, believing that positive change happens when people connect.
• Being Brave: Taking action without waiting for permission or funding, embracing the right as citizens to act.
• Being Active: Encouraging immediate action, however small, knowing that results will grow.

Key Initiatives and Activities:

• Public Food Gardens: Transforming diverse public spaces into edible landscapes, from the police station forecourt (a popular photo spot) to the Medical Garden, which focuses on culinary and medicinal herbs.
• Gardening Sundays: Regular volunteer sessions where community members come together to plant, tend, and harvest, often followed by a shared meal, creating a safe and welcoming space for all.
• The Makery, Tool Library, and Little Libraries: Initiatives developed to strengthen the local community beyond gardening, providing spaces for crafting, sharing tools, and exchanging books, showcasing a broader commitment to community resilience.
• School Gardens and Orchards: Supporting local schools in creating their own growing spaces, integrating food education into the curriculum.
• "Vegetable Tourism": Todmorden has become a destination for people from all over the world interested in the Incredible Edible model, with tours and talks offered by volunteers.
• Litter Picking and Canal Path Care: Beyond growing food, volunteers also actively contribute to keeping their town clean and looking after local amenities.
• Support for Other Groups: The success of Incredible Edible Todmorden led to the formation of the Incredible Edible Network, which supports, inspires, and connects similar groups globally, sharing the "recipe" while encouraging local flavour.

Impact and Legacy:

Incredible Edible Todmorden's impact extends far beyond its small West Yorkshire town:

• Global Movement: It has directly inspired over 200 groups in the UK and around 1000 groups worldwide, with sister projects in countries like France, Spain, Japan, and Colombia.
• Food Security and Education: It has significantly increased local food production, enhanced food literacy, and empowered communities to take control of their food resources.
• Community Cohesion: By bringing people together around a shared, positive activity, it has fostered a stronger sense of belonging, reduced isolation, and built a kinder, more connected community.
• Economic Benefits: It has boosted local food businesses and created new economic opportunities in the town.
• Environmental Benefits: Increased green spaces in urban areas, encouraged biodiversity (e.g., pollinators), and reduced reliance on long food supply chains.
• Influencing Policy: The success of the movement has influenced local and even national discussions around "right to grow" policies and urban land use for food production.
• Resilience Building: It demonstrates a practical approach to building community resilience in the face of global challenges like climate change and social fragmentation.

Incredible Edible Todmorden truly embodies the power of small, consistent, community-led actions to create profound and lasting change, proving that "if you eat, you're in" is a philosophy that can transform towns and inspire the world.