Full Circle Food Project, a community charity based in Ashington, has completed a strategic planning programme with Tell Us North to help shape its next phase of growth and development.
The organisation works alongside local communities to tackle food poverty, reduce food waste and combat social isolation by bringing people together through food, cooking and gardening. Through its work, the charity promotes healthier lifestyles while creating inclusive, welcoming spaces where people of all ages can learn new skills, share meals and strengthen community ties.
The strategic work with Tell Us North brought together the charity’s CEO and trustees to reflect on its objectives, core activities and long-term vision. As demand for the charity’s services continues to grow, the process focused on ensuring Full Circle Food Project’s work remains aligned with its mission while enabling sustainable, well-planned expansion into new communities.
“When you’re deeply ingrained in an organisation, it can be very difficult to step back and look at the bigger picture objectively. We brought in Tell Us North to help us really interrogate what we do, why we do it, and whether our activities are genuinely meeting our objectives.
“They were excellent at asking the second question – challenging assumptions and personal bias in a constructive way. That was invaluable, particularly at trustee level, where strategic direction is so important.”
Michelle Brannigan, CEO of Full Circle Food Project
The one-day strategy workshop, supported by preparatory and follow-up work, resulted in a clear three-year vision for the charity. As a direct outcome, Full Circle Food Project restructured its staffing model, streamlined job roles, and strengthened its recruitment approach. The charity has also expanded delivery into additional communities while gaining confidence in making informed decisions about future partnerships and growth.
“Having a clear strategy and vision has transformed how we make decisions. It’s enabled us to say yes in the right places and no in the right places, which is crucial as we grow and become more widely known.”
Michelle
Tell Us North is a Newcastle based community-focused organisation that works alongside local people and voluntary, community and public sector organisations to influence and improve the quality of health, wellbeing and social care services. Its work includes community engagement, research activities, evaluation and assessment processes, training and skills development, the provision of information services, and facilitating the sharing of service information between organisations.
“Bringing in myself and my colleague Courtney Peel gave Full Circle Food Project the opportunity to step outside the day-to-day running of the organisation and to see their work from a new perspective. An external view and asking difficult questions can be vital in helping organisations challenge their assumptions and think differently about how they operate.
“By creating space for honest reflection and strategic discussion, we supported the charity to clarify its direction and put strong foundations in place so it can continue to progress and grow sustainably.”
Yvonne Probert, CEO of Tell Us North
The work by Tell Us North also supported Full Circle Food Project to strengthen how it measures and evidences its impact. Clear ‘theory of change’ frameworks are now linked to each objective, enabling the charity to better demonstrate how its activities contribute to reducing food poverty, improved food education through hands on cooking and gardening classes, tackling food waste and stronger community connection.
The strategic support from Tell Us North comes as Full Circle Food Project prepares for further development, including the launch of a new community hub, reinforcing its commitment to healthier lifestyles and stronger, more connected communities across Northumberland.
