What have I learnt as a Sussex Grazed Intern?
By Orla Hunt
This internship has opened my eyes to all the amazing work that the partnership is doing. My role was to work on communications for the Sussex Grazed project. This is a meat box scheme designed to enable people to access local, sustainable, high-welfare meat that is sourced from the South Downs. All livestock has been conservation grazed, meaning the animals, by being on the land, have boosted biodiversity and helped nature to flourish in the chalk grasslands of Sussex.
In the last 8 weeks, my understanding of farming processes and local food systems has improved drastically. The Sussex Grazed project has educated me on the benefits of conservation grazing and sustainable farming and through the wider partnership I have learnt so much about how local food is produced, consumed and distributed.
One of my biggest take aways has been how to effectively communicate the importance of what the Sussex Grazed project does. Local, fair and sustainable meat is something we should all be striving for. Coming into this role as a vegetarian has enabled me to think carefully about how information is conveyed to those outside of the farming and meat-eating community. Initially I was hesitant to apply for the role due to my lifestyle choice of being vegetarian, but this has been completely respected, having the option to opt out of certain tasks if necessary. I also think it is important to learn about meat production even if you don’t consume so you can educate others.
While I have had previous experience using brand guidelines when creating content, this role has deepened my knowledge on how to create effective captions and determine appropriate forms of content for certain messages. Taking time to create content that is engaging and accessible is hugely important for projects such as Sussex Grazed that are small and local, as it widens consumer bases and informs locals about the work happening.
The Changing Chalk Project
The Changing Chalk partnership is led by the National Trust South Downs East and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Aiming to connect nature, people and heritage on and around the South Downs with 10 partners and 18 projects they have so much great work going on. Sussex Grazed is one of these projects meaning I was lucky enough to attend their annual review towards the start of my internship in which I learnt so much about each partner and how they all collaborate. It also gave me a great opportunity to connect with lots of likeminded people. Being given the opportunity to see the scale of work happening in Sussex to preserve our Chalk Grasslands was so insightful. From arts projects such as Writing our Legacy to biodiversity restoration projects such as reconnecting dew ponds. These truly inspiring projects focus on protecting the Downs through nature recovery while also creating opportunities for learning and leisure and enhancing health and wellbeing.
What did my role involve?
My role has spanned a broad range of tasks. Focusing predominantly on developing and enhancing the social media presence of Sussex Grazed. This has consisted of creating regular social media content; informing consumers about our shares and the produce available to purchase, letting people know about local events and surveys they can get involved in, creating relevant content for calendar dates and introducing reels that show processes or overviews of events. All of which can be found on our Instagram account @sussexgrazed. Having creative freedom within the brand guidelines has allowed me to experiment with different styles and find what works best which in turn has meant a recent growth in views to our page.
My role also included reviewing our audiences and looking at ways to best communicate to them. Improving accessibility and use of simple factual language is something I have strived to include in all communications. As a project we want to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of conservation grazing, so it’s important we market in a way that doesn’t use exclusionary language and breaks down the simple facts about our goals.
My time at the partnership fortunately fell within a Sussex Grazed meat box share date. Helping with this involved creating beef boxes for customers to come and collect, shooting content of the share process, updating spreadsheets as products were sold and advising customers on additional purchases they wished to make outside of their original order. I gained so much from this as I was able to speak with customers firsthand about the work of Sussex Grazed and how much they love the products.
A few of my highlights
One of the standout events of my time was the opportunity to film content for the ‘Food strategy action plan launch’. I found the speakers of the event extremely interesting and informative; learning about food surplus projects and brand marketing from some of the best in Sussex. The event was also catered for by Diego from Palmito restaurant whose commitment to using local food in his restaurant blew me away.
A huge bonus of working for the partnership has been the food! As a huge foodie, being around so many people who are so passionate about local and fair food is incredibly inspiring. Plus, you get to eat all sort of yummy food, which is always good!
I am so grateful that I have been able to attend so many informative events in my short time at the partnership. The willingness of everyone I have met to talk to me about their work and how passionate they are has been so welcoming, the friendly and enthusiastic faces will be missed.
Throughout my internship I have also written 2 blogs that have been published on the partnership website. One themed on plastic pollution and the ‘Plastic Free July’ movement, highlighting the damage that single use plastic is causing to our environment. Secondly, I explained the process of the South Downs National Park Authority Partnership Management Plan consultation that is currently taking place and why residents and/or businesses and organisations should partake to ensure a secure future for the South Downs. Writing these blogs has pushed me to explore different styles of writing and given me space to discuss topics I am passionate about.
Final reflection
My time at the partnership has been nothing but positive, while I have been challenged to think in new ways and work in new environments I have felt entirely supported when doing so. The friendly and approachable nature of everyone at the partnership has made for a truly enjoyable office environment. Having learnt about food insecurity in my studies at university and then coming to the partnership and seeing strategies and thinking being put into practice in local food systems, I feel this transition from my studies into my career progression and further learning has been seamless. This internship truly has deepened my commitment to food equality and made me even more passionate about supporting and sustaining local food systems.
My time as an intern for Sussex Grazed at Brighton and Hove Food Partnership- skills, experiences, opportunities and advertising meat as a vegetarian!
