Food Vale works in partnership to improve access to a good meal for everyone, everyday

Access to affordable, healthy and nutritious food is a struggle for many families across the Vale of Glamorgan. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increasingly challenging situation, which has seen people’s financial circumstances change and a sharp rise in the demand for affordable food.

During the pandemic 4,490 food parcels were provided through Vale Foodbank, with 46% of referrals as a result of low income. The challenges in the availability and affordability of food in the Vale is clear, but we want to hear from the community to help better understand what support needs to be provided.

Food Vale is working closely with the Health Board and a number of partners including Vale Foodbank and Vale of Glamorgan Council, to understand the barriers people living in the Vale face in feeding themselves or their families. To gain an insight and hear from the population of Llantwit Major, a new survey has been launched as part of a pilot project to help provide better support for those who are struggling to access a good meal every day. The short, anonymous survey is open to all residents of Llantwit Major to give families an opportunity to share their experiences in accessing food.

Why Llantwit Major?

Llantwit Major, like many other communities across the Vale, is home to valuable and dedicated groups working to ensure their residents have access to good food. Nonetheless, the community still faces the same challenges associated with food access as the rest of the Vale. We are working in partnership with community members from across Llantwit Major to collect stories and experiences to build an in-depth understanding of what can be improve access to food. The pilot project will inform how we can look to expand this work beyond Llantwit Major to ensure that everybody in the Vale has a good meal every day.

You can complete the Llantwit Access to Food survey by clicking here or calling the dedicated phone line on 02921 836517 to leave a voice message, all responses are anonymous so we encourage everyone to answer as honestly and openly as they wish.