Case study: Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd
Loch Fyne Oysters runs a number of projects with its local community.
Farmers' Market Project
Loch Fyne Oysters most recent local community project is 
a Farmers' Market
Project with a local primary school in Inveraray.
The project aimed to get children to learn more about good, sustainable food
and
its sources and involved pupils participating in talks, obtaining information
about sustainable food and meeting with local producers.
The project has now joined forces with the Soil Association's successful 'Food
for Life' programme and the Scottish Agricultural College's Local Food in
Argyll
programme.
Loch Fyne Oysters' desire is to really engage and inspire young
people so that they understand better the relationship between their food and
the
environment.
Loch Fyne Trust
In addition, the company set up the Loch Fyne Trust in September 2000 for “the
relief of poverty, the advancement of education and the protection of the
environment, particularly within Scotland and the area around the head of Loch
Fyne.”
The Loch Fyne Trust, coupled with the company's monthly Employee Forums, provide
an opportunity for their employees and the local community to engage with Loch
Fyne to form successful partnerships and find real solutions to community
needs.
These initiatives won a sliver award at the 2008 Community Partnership Awards:
Local
Community Category
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Community Childcare Initiative
Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd identified childcare as an area of need for its local
village of Cairndow, Argyll. The resulting Cairndow Community Childcare
initiative
provides the unique benefit of childcare for pre-school children and after
school care for those attending schools.
Loch Fyne committed access to company facilities and one of its full time
employees for three 
months to research and develop a plan to set up the
childcare
centre.
Now the centre is up and running, Loch Fyne provides ongoing support to
the
initiative through staff time and expertise along with financial support
from
its Community Trust (funded by a percentage of the profits from the Home
Delivery
Service).
The long term aim of the childcare facility is to develop a wide range of
activities and resources for the young people of the area.
By supporting
families in
this way the company hopes to encourage more young families into the area in
order to maintain the community and to assist local business, including Loch
Fyne
Oysters, with maintaining a local workforce.
This initiative won a Gold Award at the 2006 Community Partnership Awards: Local
Community Category
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More Information
FDF has published a booklet called Working in the Community: the food industry in action
(pdf, 1.2Mb) . This publication features a range of company case studies and
Community
Partnership Award winners demonstrating how our members are forging
links
with
their local communities and consumers.
Last reviewed: 12 Jan 2009