Christchurch Food Festival Education Trust has been awarded charity status by the Charity Commissioners.

The Trust was set up to continue and expand the education work done via the Christchurch Food and Wine Festival and is run by a Board of Trustees who include teachers, home economists and health specialists. Its aims, as stated in its Trust Deed, are:
“To advance education and promote the health of the residents of Christchurch area by providing and/or assisting in the provision of education, training and guidance on nutritional health and food preparation.”

The Trustees have been working for the past year to organise a variety of projects to support and achieve their aims, including further work in schools and organising and funding courses with other sectors of the community which are now coming to fruition.

The Trust will be funding the popular Kid’s Kitchen being held during the first weekend of the Food Festival, along with additional cookery demonstrations at the Clay Studio.

Becoming registered as a charity means that the Trust’s work has been recognised as valuable and beneficial to the community.

Chairman of the Trustees, Julie Ratcliffe, said: “This is excellent news indeed. Registered status puts the Trust on a very firm footing to expand its work beyond the popular schools’ workshops. We are already supporting a number of new projects that offer healthy eating and food preparation advice and tuition to other sections of the community in Christchurch.

“The Trustees are extremely grateful to our donors, in particular Christchurch Rotary Club and the Christchurch Community Partnership, along with all who have supported the Food Festival charity events in the past. We were also very pleased to be chosen as one of the Mayor of Christchurch’s charities and this has also served to raise the Trust’s profile. Without such donations we would not be able to undertake this important work.