Veg Cities

The national campaign ‘Veg Cities’ has launched in Luton.

Grow Blackpool polyttunnel

Growing fresh fruit and vegetables.

What is Veg Cities?

Veg Cities is working with education providers across the UK to help people to grow, cook, share, and eat more vegetables.

80% of children and 95% of teenagers are not reaching the daily recommended amount of vegetables. Vegetable consumption is in decline and has not shown a substantial increase since the 1970’s, despite the 5-A-Day campaign.


What’s happening in Luton?

There are a number of community food growing hubs in Luton that are supporting Luton residents to learn how to grow, harvest and cook with fresh produce. Now Groundwork is offering a variety of activities including low-cost nutritious meal planning and cooking on a budget, to help residents improve their diets and nutrition. The food grown at the hubs is used to support the delivery of these programmes. (This is the ‘Fork to Fork’ model.)

Fresh produce grown in the hubs is redistributed within the local community and used to enrich local food bank and crisis and destitution services and within local holiday hunger services, where children from low-income families will have the opportunity to grow, cook and eat fresh food as a part of structured holiday programmes.


Where are the hubs?
  • One of these hubs is a community garden at St John the Baptist Church on Rotheram Avenue (Farley, Luton LU1 5PP).
  • Our second hub is at Strathmore Avenue Community Garden, Strathmore Avenue Methodist Church (Strathmore Avenue LU1 3NZ).
  • The third hub is in development at Memorial Park Community Garden (Memorial Park, West Hill Road, Luton LU1 3LZ).
  • A fourth hub is in discussion for the New Town / Capability area of Luton.

Find out more about the hubs


Can my school get involved?

Schools can also get involved in Veg Cities Luton. In close collaboration with the Luton Schools Health Education Team, Groundwork will be talking to all schools in Luton to provide them with guidance for pupils and parents supporting them to adopt a ‘Fork to Fork’ approach both at school and at home.


Get involved with the Veg Cities campaign