Dringhouses Primary School grow their own potatoes
July 6, 2015
On Friday, Julian spent the morning sizing up potatoes grown by pupils at Dringhouses Primary School as part of the Grow Your Own Potatoes Scheme.
The programme, supported by McCains Foods, teaches primary school children how crops are grown grow and how they fit into a healthy, balanced diet. It also includes a range of activities to improve children’s understanding of how food is grown, from planting to harvesting, with schools competing locally and nationally to see how can grow the largest potatoes.
With over two million primary school children benefiting from the experience since it started in classrooms ten years ago, the Grow Your Own Potatoes scheme gives children a hands-on approach to educating children about where their food comes from.
Taking part in the GYOP programme for the first time this year, Clare Raley from Dringhouses School said: “This has been an enjoyable experience for us all. The children took on the challenge of growing and nurturing potatoes from seed with great enthusiasm and were thrilled to produce such a healthy crop. They are now looking forward to choosing a recipe to use them in”.
Corporate Affairs Manager for McCain, Andra Stan, added: ‘’As part of McCain Foods’ commitment to promoting healthier lifestyles, we’re delighted to be supporting the GYOP initiative that helps children to learn how their food is grown and the importance of a balanced diet”.
Commenting on his enjoyable visit to Dringhouses Primary School, Julian said “It was fantastic to see the children so enthusiastic about growing their own potatoes, learning all about how crops are grown and ultimately how food ends up on their plates. After all their hard work it was no surprise that the school were rewarded with a bumper crop.
“Providing children with hands-on experience about how food is grown is a really important part of their education and I hope that many more schools around York will take part in the Grow Your Own Potatoes scheme”.
