Food is Free laneway to move to Green Space in Ballarat Central

The Food is Free laneway began in Ballarat Central more than eight years ago when keen gardener Ms Ridsdale put her excess home-grown produce in the lane beside her house and encouraged people to come and take what they needed.

With neighbours roped in and wooden boxes brightly painted to hold the garden goods, it quickly grew with other locals leaving their fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, seeds, seedlings and more for anyone to come and take, no questions asked.

As it grew more popular, with more than 100 people visiting the laneway off Ripon Street South daily, Food is Free incorporated and expanded to its nearby Green Space where volunteers grow produce, recycle, compost and hold workshops.

With Ms Ridsdale preparing to move, the laneway will be "migrated" to the Food is Free Green Space just a block up Ripon St at the Western Oval at the corner of Urquhart St.

"Due to life change ... we are going to be migrating the amazing laneway that started eight and a bit years ago, over to the green space to combine two magical spaces in to one magical space," Ms Ridsdale told Food is Free followers on social media.

"The laneway will be migrated across. It's not closing the laneway, it's going to continue and will just happen in another space.

"It's been an amazing eight years having the community on my door step literally with about 100 people visiting a day and the incredible volunteers who have got behind the Food is Free cause and really support everything I advocate in terms of food security, about inclusion and certainly about food security education."

Ms Ridsdale had considered moving the laneway to the green space several years ago but then COVID hit.

"We all know that my heart has really been very attached to the laneway so it's actually bittersweet but I feel like this is the right time to do it.

IN OTHER NEWS

"I thought about doing it a couple of years ago but when COVID hit I saw so many people come to the laneway in need, especially migrant international students. I was so happy people were coming to us to be able to access fresh, nutritional food when there were very few outlets for people like that at that point in time."

Ms Ridsdale said she hoped recreating the laneway at the Food is Free Green Space would help "activate" the space more and encourage more people to visit the site, and attend workshops and other events there.

The move will take place in the coming weeks, with volunteer working bees to "get all the bits you love in the laneway across to the green space" for more people to enjoy.

"We are really proud of the space we have put together there. It's a really ground space and it's really important to have green space in the city, especially so central in town."

Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.