Jess Savery
Abundance Scheme Coordinator
After studying English Literature and History at Durham University, Jess worked as a chalet host in France for several winter seasons following her passions for both snowboarding and food. She has always loved being outdoors be it gardening, hiking or camping. For the past ten years, she managed the family business, a small dog boarding kennels just outside Cheltenham, caring for dogs of all shapes and sizes and giving them the best home-from-home experience. She has two dogs herself and has fostered many others. She loves reading and listening to podcasts, always keen to learn new skills and ideas. She is developing permaculture principles into her own garden and is currently studying to become a Forest School Leader.
Whilst volunteering with The Hygiene Bank, a national charity working towards alleviating hygiene poverty, Jess realised that she wants to work with people. As Project Coordinator in Cheltenham she worked with businesses, individuals and various charities from food banks to women’s centres to combat hygiene poverty in the community. She came across many different amazing community initiatives and would love to continue to be part of the community network. She sees food education as a way to provide people with the skills to look after themselves, give autonomy and hopefully eventually reduce the need for food banks.
Jess believes that access to nutritious and affordable food is currently being denied to many because of the unjust food systems we are part of. She is enthusiastic about improving access to healthy food by encouraging people to support local producers and to source their own free food through foraging. Having grown up on a small mixed farm, she is acutely aware of the difficulties smallholders face and feels the need to build food sovereignty so local people have control over their food production and are able to access good food that hasn’t had to travel miles.
Through the Abundance Scheme Jess is hoping to have an impact on changing food systems from the grassroots up and is excited to meet and work with people who care about their own local food.
If you’d like to connect then please drop her an email to: abundancescheme@therewildproject.com