Last few days for local schools to register
18 February, 2010
Schools in the region are being reminded they have got just a few more days remaining to register for their own vegetable garden, as part of the new ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign.
The initiative (www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk) is aimed at encouraging primary school-age children to grow their own produce and closes for entries on 28 February. The campaign, supported by Cornish Mutual, was launched earlier this month across the region with the help of well-known TV personality and expert gardener Charlie Dimmock.
It will help to create 50 new vegetable gardens in schools across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset to encourage children to promote the value and benefits of understanding the source of their food, nurturing their own produce and learning how to live a more sustainable life for the future. Successful schools will be announced in March.
Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual said: “We have been overwhelmed by the interest generated by this campaign and the number of schools that have come forward to register for a vegetable garden – it’s been hugely successful. We want to urge those schools across the South West that have not yet registered, to do so. Go online at digdownsouthwest.co.uk and register your interest – there are just a few vegetable gardens remaining now and we don’t want schools to miss out on this fantastic opportunity.”
TV personality and gardening expert, Charlie Dimmock said: “I believe that gardening is a life skill; and if every child knows how to grow plants and look after them, that would make a fabulous difference. A school garden enables children to learn in different ways and gives a practical element to learning and its fun.”
‘Dig Down South West’ was launched following worrying new research that suggested almost two thirds of school children across the South West struggle to identify the origins of everyday food products they consume.
Among the findings some youngsters thought that beef burgers came from McDonalds or Burger King, eggs from sheep, that yoghurts were made using turkeys or ducks, ham came from the Co-Op, bacon from horses, goats or peacocks and cheese originated from butterflies, rats or mice.
Less than one in four knew that beef burgers are sourced from cows, with 29 per cent saying beef burgers came from pigs. Over 1,100 youngsters from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, between the ages of six and eight, were questioned for the research* which was commissioned by Cornish Mutual.
The survey was used to determine their level of awareness and knowledge of vegetables, dairy products and meat produce and to determine if they are able to recognise how they are sourced.
Other bizarre responses from pupils that emerged from the survey include pupils believing rabbits, plastic or sheep were the main ingredient of crisps (two thirds correctly identified potatoes) and some thought ice cream was made with cheese, air, fish or potatoes (43 per cent correctly said milk or cream).
However, children’s overall level of recognition of vegetables was high, ranging from 98 per cent for carrots and sweetcorn to a low of 44 per cent for swede/turnip. Levels of animal recognition were even higher, with all pupils correctly identifying cows, 99 per cent for pigs, 98 per cent for chickens and 97 per cent for sheep.
Encouragingly, nearly 70 per cent of youngsters gave the correct answer of five portions of fruit or vegetables a day as part of a healthy diet. 77 per cent of pupils in the South West had visited a farm and just under two thirds in the South West had grown their own vegetables.
For more information about ‘Dig Down South West’, the opportunity to apply for a vegetable garden for your school, advice on growing produce and interactive puzzles and games for children, visit www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk.
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