Green-fingered foodies can learn how to grow their own food at a free event in Nottingham this weekend.

The city's first Neighbourhood Food Growing Festival will have expert advice from community gardeners, a range of locally grown plants, seedlings and produce for sale, talks on everything from foraging to permaculture, and a guided tree walk.

There are plenty of activities for kids, including making banana 'nice cream' and sorbets on Pulp Friction's smoothie bike.

Nottingham Good Food Partnership (NGFP), a coalition of more than 60 organisations working to make the local food system more sustainable and to improve access to healthy, locally grown and produced food, is hosting the event in the Arboretum on Sunday, June 9, from 1-4pm.

The colourful, fun and informative event will have a wide range of activities designed to encourage people of all ages to start growing food – and to think about the future of food in Nottingham by completing a survey at the event.

Penney Poyzer, chairman of NGFP, said: "With more and more land being taken up with new buildings it is really important to make sure that spaces are included that provide people with spaces to grow food and enjoy nature - this why we have partnered up with the city council to ensure local people have their say in securing these vital green spaces for future generations.”

The festival will take place in the Arboretum
The festival will take place in the Arboretum

Everyone in the city is encouraged to complete the survey which can be found here.

Shona Munro, coordinator of NGFP said: "The festival is about bringing people together to share information and gain new skills in climate friendly food growing.

"Many people would love to grow food but simply do not know where to start. Nottingham has a wonderful network of community food growing spaces which are an excellent place to visit if you are a person just about to set off on your food growing adventures.

"It is really important to get people growing and eating more fresh food – 80 per cent of children are not eating enough portions of food a day. Eating food straight from the garden is exciting and a brilliant way to get the whole family eating more fresh fruit and veg.”

The combination of the impacts of climate change and a growing population, mean that the UK must produce 70 per cent more food by 2050 – and food growing in cities needs to be a part of the picture.

It has been estimated that between 10-15 per cent of our food needs will be met by cities in the future.

Visitors will be able to tuck into food at the event from Dena Smiles & Praxis Probiotics, Growin' Spaces, Khatti Meethi and Rezi's Good Mood Food and there will be music from Rise Choir, Beat Feet, the Red Hats Band and more.

The community-led festival will launch an exciting programme of events which will run to the end of October. The four-month Good Food Festival has been sponsored to the tune of £10,000 by the University of Nottingham’s Future Food Beacon of Excellence, which addresses the challenge of feeding a growing population in a changing world.