It was 1998 when Hugh moved into the original River Cottage in Dorset, to start growing and rearing some of his own food. 'River Cottage' has since grown and developed, but continues to stand for the same principles of increasing self-sufficiency, food sustainability, and the consumption of local, seasonal produce.
The idea of Landshare came about after Hugh helped a group of families in Bristol set up allotments on some derelict land owned by the council. He was then further inspired by Incredible Edibles Todmorden and a garden share scheme in Transition Town Totnes. Hugh and River Cottage created Landshare in order to give everyone across the UK the opportunity to share space and grow their own.
Channel 4 is a UK public service media network with a remit to innovate in television and online media. Landshare is a prime example of a project that meets the Channel's values of doing it first and inspiring change. Channel 4 is proud to have been the founding partner and funder of Landshare.
Creative Scotland is the new national leader for the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland and plays a lead role in promoting the value and importance of the sector. Creative Scotland invests in talented people and exciting ideas, develops the creative industries and champions Scottish creativity. Working with partners and cultural organisations, Creative Scotland works to ensure that a diversity of audiences, both at home and internationally, enjoy access to the best of Scotland’s creative arts.
Landshare is supported by The Digital Media IP Fund in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and the Creative Scotland Innovation Fund.
Community Land Advisory Service
The Community Land Advisory Service (CLAS) is an impartial, collaborative initiative, designed to help tackle the lack of available land for community gardening and associated activities. Demand from the community sector for land has outstripped traditional sources of supply in recent years, leading to issues such as 10-year waiting lists for allotments in some cities.
The new website will contain a portfolio of useful documents, from FAQs about community land use, to overviews of topics such as finding land, offering land to community groups, negotiating tips and information on leases and planning. There are also links to a wealth of existing publications and websites.
A small team of CLAS advisors are also available in England and Scotland to help answer specific queries with detailed technical advice.
