Book tickets for this year’s Annual Celebration here. Oxford has become one of just a handful of cities to win a prestigious Sustainable Food Cities award. The award, which was presented at the Sustainable Food Cities conference in Cardiff on the 26^th July, recognises Oxford’s work to promote healthy, sustainable and local food and to tackle some of today’s greatest social challenges, from food poverty and diet-related ill-health to the disappearance of family farms and the loss of independent food retailers. Good Food Oxford submitted the application for the award which can be viewed here. More than 60 organisations were mentioned in the application, showing how truly committed people working across Oxford are to a better food future. Local food projects recognised by the award included Oxford’s network of Community Markets, which provide a weekly outlet for farmers and food producers from around Oxford; SUGAR SMART Oxford, a campaign to get healthier drinks into canteens and cafés to make the healthy choice the easy choice; Oxford Food Bank, which collects good quality fresh food from local supermarkets and wholesalers and delivers it for free to over 80 registered charities in the Oxford area, with a value of over £1 million per year; and the Community Action Groups project, a network of over 60 Oxfordshire groups and social enterprises making a difference through food growing, cooking and community eating. The award is about recognising the fantastic work of more than 130 network members. From local markets supporting small food businesses; to voluntary groups providing community meals from food surplus; so many people in Oxford are taking action for healthier, fairer and more sustainable food. This award is a credit to their hard work. Oxford is a hotspot for community-led action on food, thanks to the activities of so many groups of people from all different walks of life. We can be proud of Oxford in achieving this Sustainable Food Cities Bronze Award. Oxford has shown just what can be achieved when creative and committed people work together to make healthy and sustainable food a defining characteristic of where they live. While there is still much to do and many challenges to overcome, Oxford has helped to set a benchmark for the other 50 members of the UK Sustainable Food Cities Network to follow. We're looking forward to continuing working together as a network over the months and years ahead to transform Oxford’s food culture and food system for the better. Good Food Oxford and Oxford City Council are organising an event to recognise this great work and celebrate Oxford winning the award. The event is taking place at Oxford Town Hall on Wed, 26^th September from 6-8pm and free tickets can be booked here. Please join the celebrations!