Anglican School Food Programme Part 2
St Mark’s CE Primary School in Newtown and Christchurch CE Primary School in Padgate, have both been successful in applying to Faiths4Change for grant fudninding to develop significant areas of their school fields to grow food with the help of local people. Christ Church School will be selling the produce they grow, reconnecting people with the previous farming tradition of the area. St Mark’s have linked their food growing to the curriculum and all classes are involved. In particular they are setting up a heritaghe project, growing old varieties of vegetables. Like purple carrots! They have had a chef into school to teach them about cooking their produce and also have met Lancashire bee keepers and been advised on what plants to grow to attract bees to pollinate their vegetables.
Christ the King Learning Centre in Huyton, a new school with ready made allotment space and polytunnels are working to make local community links and to invite parents and local people to help on the allotment. Helen from Faiths4Change is helping year 7 create food growing spaces inside their beautiful new school.
St Mary’s CE Primary School in Anfield have linked up with the Academy of Francis of Assisi, and are growing food in newly raised beds in St Mary’s School grounds. Teacher Terrell Owns and Business Manager Jean Muir are attending aday on food growing at a school in Rossendale and are making a link with Norris Green Fingers and organising a teacher twilight so all staff can gain gardening knowledge and encourage each class to take part in the food growing.
St Thomas CE Primary School, Ashton in Makerfield, have gardeining teacher Sarah Wickett to lead the way. In her foundation stage class the children are growing potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries and more. They are revamping old raised beds with the help of a parent and offered gardening workshops at their school fayre in May. Sarah invited Helen from Faiths4Change to talk to some of the congregation at St Thomas Church who meet every Wednesday fro a family service in the school hall. Church members planted seeds in the service ready to plant out in the school grounds!
