Full Circle Food Project (FCFP), a local charity dedicated to promoting healthy eating and sustainable living, has appointed Michelle Brannigan as its new CEO. In her first few months, Michelle has been at the helm of an incredible achievement: the preparation and distribution of FCFP’s 1,000th ready meal, which is provided to those in need through a partnership with Wansbeck Valley Food Bank.
Based in Hirst Park, Ashington, FCFP runs a variety of activities and events focused on teaching people how to cook and eat healthily on a budget. Their work emphasises growing their own food, mental health support, and creating a sense of community around food. The initiative has been powered by a strong team of seven staff members and 17 dedicated volunteers, including a horticultural officer and two project coordinators.
Michelle previously held a senior management role within the Healthwatch organisation and as an Ashington local herself, she is relishing the chance to make a difference in her home town.
“The situation with the cost of living and rising costs has put the work of FCFP into the heart of the community. We are all aware that eating healthily can be expensive so we look at ways to minimise those costs and encourage people to eat better through education,” she said.
Michelle shared her enthusiasm for the project: “We do everything from teaching cooking classes to growing our own food in our community garden. We help people improve their mental health and well-being by coming together and working towards a shared goal.”
This September, the charity celebrated the production of its 1,000th ready meal, marking a huge success in its partnership with Wansbeck Valley Food Bank. These meals, which include classics like bangers and mash made with fresh vegetables from FCFP’s garden, offer a nutritious alternative to standard food parcels, which often contain processed foods.
“We consulted with food bank users to understand what meals they’d like to eat,” explained Michelle. “Our wonderful staff and volunteers have since created nutritious ready meals that are delivered weekly. The feedback has been heartwarming, with recipients feeling cared for and enjoying the meals, even the kids!”
FCFP’s next steps include expanding the meal programme to cater to Ashington’s growing asylum seeker and refugee population. Michelle and her team have begun working with volunteers from these communities to create culturally appropriate meals, using ingredients familiar to the countries that they originated from. These meals are then distributed through the Northumberland County of Sanctuary program.
“It’s a huge challenge but we’ve a great team of staff and volunteers and we are determined to help people in Ashington to eat more healthily. We’ve provided 1000 meals since January and we will keep on making sure that those in need get at least one nutritious meal a day,” she added.