Staff and students at Edge Hill University worked with schoolchildren from Liverpool to grow fruit and vegetables which they went on to sell in the city centre to raise money for charity.
Hazel Flight, programme lead for BSc Nutrition and Health, managed the project in the Liverpool area, visiting inner-city schools with her students giving schoolchildren the opportunity to set up vegetable patches and planters.
Edge Hill students coordinated educational sessions in schools on nutrition and marketing tips to sell their wares, which they did in Liverpool One this week. Run by charity School Food Matters, the money raised will go to FareShare, a charity aimed at relieving food poverty and reducing food waste in the UK.
Liverpool project lead and Senior Lecturer, Hazel Flight said: “This is the third year I have managed the project in the Liverpool area and each time it has grown, from 4 schools in the first year, 8 in the second and now 12 today, it’s really encouraging to see more schools being able to get children involved with growing their own food. The impact on the children is clear, not only have they learned about their own nutrition, but they’ve spent time out in nature, enhanced their social skills by speaking to the public and felt immense pride seeing people pay money for something they created.”
Second year Nutrition and Health student Scarlet (extreme left) said: “I wanted to be involved in the project because it links to what I want to do in the future. I want to be a teacher and being able to work with kids and teach them important skills related to their health has been really rewarding.”
Teacher Jade Morris from Phoenix Primary School said: “The best part of this project for me has really come together today. Watching the kids take something they created, something they’re proud of and bring it to a public setting to sell it is amazing. They have all been out approaching members of the public and chatting to customers about the produce. It’s a proud moment for me to bring kids along who although were initially shy, have flourished in confidence in a matter of hours.”
Pupil Alberto said: “I liked learning to grow the food and being able to build a new skill. It’s nice to grow fresh food for people who can’t grow it themselves so that they can enjoy it too.”
The School Food Matters charity provides fully funded food education programmes to schools. Their mission is to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy and sustainable food options, during their time at school.
July 11, 2024
