Who we are
WHO WE ARE
Bristol Food Network C.I.C. supports, informs and connects individuals, community projects, organisations and businesses who share a vision to transform Bristol into a sustainable food city.
We have taken our wider objectives from A Good Food Plan for Bristol:
- To promote and encourage people to cook from scratch, grow their own and eat more fresh, seasonal, local, organically grown food.
- To champion the use of local, independent food shops and traders to help keep Bristol’s high street vibrant and diverse.
- To promote and encourage the use of good quality land in and around Bristol for food production.
- To promote and encourage the redistribution, recycling and composting of food waste.
- To advance education about the part that food, nutrition and lifestyle can play in meeting the needs of disadvantaged individuals, families and groups in the community and encourage social inclusion and social cohesion.
- To promote community-led food trade such as co-operatives, buying groups, Community Supported Agriculture and pop-up shops.
- To build the Bristol Food Network expertise in food and sustainability that allows access to and creates opportunities for local people within Bristol.
MEET THE TEAM
CHAIR
ELLEN HARRISON
Ellen works in communications and marketing for Triodos Bank, a leading sustainable bank based in Bristol. She also volunteers locally with FoodCycle, a charity that runs weekly community meals using surplus food.
DIRECTOR
HELOISE BALME
Heloise has been involved in sustainable food since 2018, and worked for The Community Farm in Somerset before joining Bristol Food Network. As well as being a director, she is also our General Manager, running the organisation day-to-day.
DIRECTOR
DR LAUREN BLAKE
Lauren is a social scientist and Lecturer at the University of Bristol’s Geography School, where she teaches and conducts interdisciplinary research on agri-food systems. She is the Food Security theme lead for the Cabot Institute for the Environment, co-lead for the Food Justice Network, and sits on the Bristol Advisory Committee on Climate Change (BACCC).
DIRECTOR
JOY CAREY
Joy is an independent consultant working with cities on planning better food systems. She currently works with RUAF Foundation on various international projects. She is the author of 'Who Feeds Bristol?: Towards a resilient food plan'.
DIRECTOR
MARIA BERRYMAN
Maria Berryman brings years of experience in strategy and programme management. As Programme Director at YTKO Ltd, she delivers impactful projects across sectors, including hospitality and business development. Her work at 42 Acres deepened her insight into sustainable food systems. Fluent in English and German, she connects local and global initiatives, driving collaboration and resilience in Bristol’s food community.
DIRECTOR
DANNI ROCHMAN
Danni has worked with a number of sustainable food-focused organisations including the Soil Association, The Community Farm, Bristol Fair Trade Network and Better Food. She was Communications Coordinator for Bristol’s Gold Sustainable Food City bid.
CONTENT COORDINATOR
RAMONA ANDREWS
Ramona is a freelance writer and digital content producer focussing on food, seasonal recipes and sustainability. For more than ten years, she was part of Bramble Farm, a communally run smallholding in Knowle, in South Bristol. Ramona writes and commissions content for Bristol Good Food 2030 and writes the newsletter.
PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR
GEMMA CHARNOCK
Gemma has a background in project management working in the charity sector across organisations focussed on health, domestic abuse, human rights and the environment. Alongside this she has been training to be a gardener. Gemma started out her career working for her family’s organic and wholefoods business in Leicester.
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
CHARLOTTE JACKSON
Charlotte works on strategic comms for Bristol Good Food 2030, utilising years of experience in media, sustainability, and hospitality. She is passionate about the power of community, events, and food to inspire climate and nature action. Elsewhere, she manages sustainability for Team Love's festivals and supports food traders to source sustainable produce and reduce their food waste and emissions.