Since June 2013 patients from Edith Cavell Surgery have been involved in building a garden at Gracefield Gardens Health Centre.  They joined patients from several surgeries across the Borough including Streatham High Practice, Paxton Green, Lambeth Walk and others in a Borough-wide initiative aimed at growing food in GP surgeries.

The Lambeth GP Food Co-op is funded by the NHS and Lambeth Council and is attracting wide spread interest and support across Lambeth and beyond. It is open to everyone, especially people who do not have access to gardens themselves and have little or no experience of growing food.

In October 2013 the Lambeth GP Food Co-op was recognized by the NHS and Public Health England as the Best Sustainable Food Initiative across the health sector. The award is shared by everyone involved in working to make the Lambeth GP Food Co-op a success. We hope that we can build on these achievements in 2014 with the continued support of doctors, nurses, practice staff and patients from across Lambeth.

One GP has said: “By growing and selling food locally it’s great for the environment and makes a small contribution to reducing carbon emission. Why source fruit and vegetables from across the UK or even abroad when GPs and patients can grow them for you?”

Patients are welcome to come along and join in at Gracefield Gardens. The session is held every Tuesday from 10am until lunchtime. There is no need to book, just turn up. Sessions are led by nurses who are trained gardeners and have years of experience in food growing.

During the winter months we offer basic training for anyone who wishes to learn more about food growing.

For more information about the Lambeth GP Food Co-op at Gracefield Gardens or in other parts of the Borough please get in touch with your Practice Manager or follow us on Twitter @GPFoodCoop where we Tweet information on a weekly basis, and you can also email: lgpfoodcoop@gmail.com