Press Release
ASHBY ST LEDGERS FARM OPENS ITS DOORS TO SCHOOL FOR CO-OPERATIVE “FARM TO FORK” SCHEME
22 July 2008
Pupils from Portfields School in Newport Pagnell were invited to spend a day on the farm by The Co-operative, which manages The Crown Estate-owned Ashby St Ledgers farm.
The primary children, aged 7 and 8, learned how to identify seeds, planted their own crops such as sunflowers and maize, and dug in the soil using trowels to find worms. They also had the opportunity to see how wheat is used for food, by cooking their own pizzas.
Ashby St Ledgers is the latest farm to open its doors to schools as part of the “Farm to Fork” scheme, and many schools in the surrounding area will have the opportunity to benefit from spending a day there. The 2,200 acre farm is owned by The Crown Estate and managed by The Co-operative Group. Crops such as wheat, oats, oilseed rape and beans are grown there.
The Ashby St Ledgers educational initiative has been supported from the start by The Crown Estate, making a significant up-front investment by converting a farm building for use as a classroom and kitchen, to make the scheme possible. The Crown Estate has also agreed to cover the running costs of the project for the first year, including a project co-ordinator and an assistant.
Alan Laidlaw, Head of Customer Management at The Crown Estate’s Rural Estate said: “We are delighted to be able to support The Co-operative’s Ashby St Ledgers educational initiative which will, over the course of the year, benefit hundreds of local children. This demonstrates our success in encouraging educational programmes on farms across our portfolio.”
Portfields School were approached by the manager of their local Co-operative store in Newport Pagnell, who invited them to The Co-operative Farm. The store helped to pay for the school’s bus to the farm, and provided them with ingredients to take with them to cook with on the day.
Manager of The Co-operative store on Wordsworth Avenue, Jamie Rose, was pleased to be able to help with the visit: “As a community food store, we try to support local initiatives where we can. So we were pleased to be able to offer the school a visit to our farm and donate food for their visit, as well as helping with their transport costs.”
The Co-operative Farms has been hosting a successful “Farm to Fork” scheme at several of its farms across the UK to give children a better understanding of where their food comes from.
The Co-operative Group and The Crown Estate are pleased to work in partnership on this scheme and are both supporting the Year of Food & Farming, launched by HRH The Prince of Wales, which aims to provide the opportunity for children to visit a local farm and learn about where their food comes from.
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