Hi Folks,

Happy new year! Outside in the big world 2016 was a bit of a shambles. Elections and referendums spilled into divisions, and disillusionment while our favourite celebrities and musicians keeled over like canaries in a coal pit. Things seemed to get worse with just about everything, just about everywhere while the scale and confusion of global politics reached new levels leaving me completely bewildered.

It was also the year Co² in the atmosphere passed 400ppm, a critical level which it wont drop below again within any of our lifetimes. This is really, really bad news, but we didn’t hear all that much about it in the media..

With big massive global problems it helps me to look close at the good stuff that’s going on at a local level around the world to make our societies fairer and more sustainable. At this scale it’s easier to feel that you have an impact because regardless of politics and economics it is individuals and communities who make most of the choices that shape the world we live in.

Where apathy turns into action you realise that as individuals we can collectively shape a better future. That might be through getting involved in community action or just by walking your own talk a little more.

If you’re annoyed with the banks then switch your account to a more ethical alternative. If you don’t want your electricity bill paying for fossil fuels then switch to a renewable energy company. If you’re not happy with of the power of large corporations and the way they operate in society then don’t give them your money.

Spend your money like it is a vote for the type of world you live in, because it is.

Here in Locavore land 2016 was an amazing year and it was all thanks to people like you who backed us.

Thanks to you:

• Our shop sales were up by about 65% on 2015 with lots more people choosing to buy their groceries from us and support a fairer & more sustainable economy..
• We grew lots more vegetables and you ate them. We invested in developing Left Field to make us more efficient and able to produce more and more vegetables as our market grows. We also started the process of organic certification.
• We moved our office, veg box and wholesale operations to our new Veg Shed on Calder Street. This has given us more space in the shop and let us set up really good systems to improve the veg box service.
• Through the Good Food Fund you helped us provide 600 parcels of good food to those in desperate need as well as a pallet of pasta and many sacks of tatties, carrots and onions to Glasgow South West Food Bank.
• Our Grow the Grower programme let 10 people grow produce to sell for the first time from their plots at The Croft. A big congratulations to Jackie in particular who has just bought some land to take it to the next level!
• We’ve grown our team to 19 lovely folk who all get paid at least the Living Wage for doing something worthwhile.
• We raised the capital we need to take forward our Big Plan to scale up our shop and open a social enterprise supermarket.

Thank you for making 2016 such a good year for us. The year ahead in 2017 looks like it will be even better with lots of new projects for growth on the cards:

• We’ll shortly harvest our first crops from our new Rouken Glen glasshouse and are getting it ready for our spring and summer tomatoes.
• In January we will plant 250 of your rental Christmas trees, creating windbreaks across Left Field market garden.
• We’ll soon be able to tell you more about updates on our Big Plan to launch a social enterprise supermarket. We’re very excited about this project which will be a game changer for us.

Thanks again for supporting our vision, our team (Louis, Hannah, Jess, Kim, Vivien, Conor, Laura, Kimberley, Katie, George, Doro, Michael, Mike, Alan, me, Mark, Lourne, Iain, Ursula, Clem, Robin & John), and all of our suppliers and their employees through 2016.

Thanks again and see you soon,

Reuben