Bridgend Food Partnership – Sustainable Food Economy Contract
About the Project:
The Bridgend Food Partnership is a collaborative network launched in January 2024 to transform the local food system across Bridgend County Borough. Hosted by Bridgend County Borough Council , its core mission is to make healthy, sustainable, and locally produced food accessible to everyone in Bridgend County.
In November 2025, the partnership was awarded the prestigious national Bronze Sustainable Food Places Award for its leadership in tackling food poverty, reducing waste, and supporting local food economies.
This project aligns with the partnerships strategic aim to build a thriving sustainable food economy in Bridgend. It is a structured 6 month campaign, designed to expand the existing economy network (part of the wider partnership) The initiative will be led by the food partnership in collaboration with the successful network facilitator to focus on focuses on onboarding local food businesses, plan upskilling workshop, connect local supply chains through an event, culminating in a public-facing county food trail.
Freelance Network Facilitator: Sustainable Food Economy Project
- Contract Type: Freelance
- Duration: 6 Months Commencing October 2026
- Total Fee: £10,000 (inclusive of all expenses)
- Reporting to: Bridgend Sustainable Food Partnership
Role Overview
We are seeking an energetic, organised, and community-minded Freelance Network Facilitator to lead the next phase of our Sustainable Food Economy network. This 6-month campaign aims to drive a thriving local food economy by onboarding food businesses, arrange sustainability learning sessions, and delivering an impactful public celebratory food trail.
The ideal candidate will excel at business engagement, event coordination, and project management, acting as the secondary point of contact for local food businesses, suppliers, and project partners in addition to the local food partnership.
Responsibilities & Key Deliverables
- Stakeholder Engagement: Actively reach out to and secure commitments from local sustainable suppliers, growers, and inspiring food leaders to act as mentors and network partners.
- Themed Supplier Meet-Ups: Organise, promote, and facilitate structured B2B networking events focused on optimizing local supply-chain efficiency.
- Sustainability Workshops: Coordinate learning sessions featuring guest speakers and experts to guide businesses in adopting more sustainable operational practices.
- Food Trail Coordination
- Special Event Coordination: Assist member venues in managing and marketing open days, interactive workshops, and collaborative evening Supper Clubs showcasing local provenance.
- Town Centre Farmers’ Market: Manage logistics and infrastructure setup for a high-footfall weekend farmers’ market acting as the anchor event for the food trail.
Required Skills & Experience
- Business Engagement: Proven experience working with local independent businesses, hospitality venues, or agricultural producers.
- Event Management: Hands-on experience delivering business networking events, workshops, or public food markets/festivals.
- Communication: Strong digital and interpersonal skills, with the ability to act as the passionate “face” of a sustainability movement.
- Organisation: Self-motivated freelancer capable of managing tight timelines and balancing multiple vendor relationships across a strict 6-month window.
- Sustainability Knowledge: A clear interest in local food supply chains, circular economies, and sustainable business practices is highly desirable.
Budget Context & Resources
The facilitator will have direct support from a £2,500 Branding & Marketing budget and will oversee a £10,000 Food Trail & Events budget dedicated to hiring farmers’ market infrastructure and subsidising venue supper clubs.
How to Apply
Please send through a brief proposal (max 2 pages) to foodpartnership@bridgend.gov.uk by 10th September 2026, including the following details:
- Contact details
- A brief proposal outlining how you meet the required skills and experience (please see assessment criteria below)
- A proposed timetable and allocation of time.
- A budget summary, detailing: who would be delivering the work, their day rate, how many days the funding would cover and any additional costs anticipated e.g. expenses, and the total (inclusive of VAT where applicable).
- A declaration of any potential conflicts of interest
All applications will be reviewed by our panel, and the successful applicant will be notified by 16th September 2026