Ambitious Fife food-themed enterprise and welfare hub would be UK first

The ambitious project includes plans for a GP referral scheme for fresh, locally grown produce and an artisanal food and drink retail market.

Cupar Foodstation Project has been awarded £5,000 by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) and Williamson Trust to promote healthy living in the market town as part of a bold initiative to provide novel solutions to alleviate high rates of local poverty, improve health and reduce food waste.

Tonnes of fruit and vegetables produced locally by East of Scotland Growers are currently surplus to requirements. Through local GPs and the Cupar Foodbank, it would instead be redirected to local people to help tackle ill-health caused by poor diet.

The hub would house several other local organisations, including Cupar Foodbank, a

Community Larder, a catering training facility and a service offering free refurbished bikes.

Tony Miklinski who chairs Cupar Development Trust, said: The funding will help us progress an innovative project in Cupar, which is designed to improve the health and well-being of local residents, support our local food and drink producers, regenerate a prominent town centre building and reduce local food waste.

The project is one of 16 innovative community-led research projects across Scotland to receive funding from the RSE and the Williamson Trust. A total of £73,625 has been given to a range of creative projects to foster healthy communities as part of the ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People ‘awards.

This is the second year of the awards which are funded by the Williamson Trust, a charitable organisation. The strength of the applications in the second round of the funding programme resulted in four additional projects being awarded financial support.

Professor David E Salt, chair of the Williamson Trust, said: “This year, we again have an amazing diversity of projects, from dolphins, bees, seeds, orchards, woodlands and lochs to food banks, composting, urban crofts and coffee shops. We truly look to invest in hope and the power of ideas wherever they arise.

“The trustees at the Williamson Trust are excited to fund 16 great community-led projects from across Scotland.

“Applications to the Healthy Planet, Healthy People Community-led Research Awards continue to grow, demonstrating the strong desire of communities in Scotland to develop local solutions to the ongoing global challenges to our environment, our communities and our food.

“The Trust hopes that these locally focused projects can find solutions to the challenges the local communities face and that these solutions can also have wider application."

Professor Anne Anderson, RSE vice president, added: “This marks the second round of RSE 'Healthy Planet, Healthy People': Community-led Research Awards, which were introduced to expand the Society’s range of awards and the type of research we support.

“The health of people and the environment are closely connected, and I hope that these awards will strengthen these innovative research groups and drive positive change in both areas. I look forward to following their progress and achievements over the coming year."