Inspiration for the inspired

This suite of articles appears in the Todmorden News of 9 September 2010: the first of what is to be a monthly set of articles by us for the newspaper. Many thanks to John Greenwood and Carol Longbottom at the paper.

FAMILIAR FACES – IN NEW GUISES

Blackboards bearing the IET logo are a familiar site in Todmorden market, to show that traders are selling local produce. But for the prince’s visit there was an unusual stall there too: one advertising Incredible Edible Todmorden itself. And it was run by familiar faces in new guises, for Debbie McCall and Pauline Mullarkey are former volunteers who from this month are paid workers. Chair of IET Pam Warhurst says, ‘I couldn’t be happier that two of our local volunteers – who for the past two years have helped make the campaign such a success – have themselves become successful by becoming our first Food Inspirers.’ But just who are they, and how are they planning to inspire us?

MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE

Debbie McCall lives on Todmorden’s border up at Blackshaw Head and has been interested in environmental issues – and growing her own veg – for years. ‘When I heard about what Incredible Edible was up to,’ she says, ‘it got my attention right away. I like the idea of focussing on one area where I think we can make a real difference, and food is something that everyone can get a handle on.’

Debbie’s involvement with IET began when she asked how she could help, and was told to turn up at Ferney Lee old people’s home with a shovel. From digging there, sometimes in the snow, she graduated to going to meetings, and soon found herself appointed Secretary and helping out in all sorts of ways. That’s because everyone quickly recognized Debbie as someone who’d get things done..

‘I think it’s important to take responsibility and get involved with your own community,’ she says. There’ll be plenty of community and business initiatives to get her teeth into. But her first priority is work with schools and parents, ‘to look at how schools can put food at the heart of the curriculum. We also want to boost the parents’ network and find School Growing Champions to keep momentum going.’ It looks like there’ll be plenty of momentum with Debbie jointly at the helm.

INSPIRATION FOR THE INSPIRED

Pauline Mullarkey got involved in IET more than two years ago. ‘I was inspired after a public meeting at the Unitarian Church. Never having grown a vegetable in my life, I began to grow my own food – now I have twelve raised beds and keep fourteen chickens in my garden too!’

No wonder IET have chosen Pauline to help inspire others. Those chickens are part of the Every Egg Matters campaign, which has raised awareness of just where our eggs come from, and led to a surge in growth of local hen-keeping. ‘We came up with the idea of the Todmorden Egg Map. We now have around 50 people on the egg map all producing eggs locally, and we’ve put info on the website about keeping hens and chicken welfare.’

Pauline’s concerns are, like co-worker Debbie, closely entwined with encouraging children, parents and teachers to get involved. She’s part of the group at Castle Hill Primary who’ve helped to create a nature area for children, an allotment space, and raised beds. ‘All the beds have been adopted by people,’ says Pauline, ‘so what was a bland expanse of tarmac is now not only a more pleasant place to be but an enhanced learning environment – and a source of food for local people.’

So what’s prompted her to go for the co-worker job? ‘Well, I love food – growing, cooking, sharing and eating it, and it’s an irresistible job title!’ So what does she want to achieve as a Food Inspirer? ‘To really get the message out there that food in the future is a serious issue – that we can actually work as a town to do something about it, make Todmorden a more self-sufficient town and a model for a healthier and more sustainable future.’