Cymraeg

PRESS RELEASE

16/4/08

Learning along the food chain: a DVD for schools

All too often, children do not know where their food comes from, but farm visits, gardening and cooking can help them to understand healthy eating and care for the environment. That is the message of a new DVD, commissioned by Organic Centre Wales and FACE Wales, which is to be launched by Elin Jones AM for Ceredigion and Minister for Rural Affairs, at TyGlyn Hotel and Blaencamel Farm, Ciliau Aeron, this Friday.

‘We hope the DVD will inspire teachers to take advantage of the many opportunities for children to learn about food production first hand, such as visiting a local farm or farmers’ market, or growing food in the school grounds,’ said Jane Powell of Organic Centre Wales and FACE Wales.

The 7-minute bilingual DVD was produced and directed by Nick Rebbeck, Education Officer for Learning on the Farm (LOTF), and follows a number of primary schools, including Llandysul, Llanilar, Llwyn-yr-Eos and Tregaron, as they take part in the ‘Learning along the Food Chain' experience. This includes farm visits, gardening, visiting a farmers’ market held in the school grounds, preparing and cooking vegetables on the Welsh Assembly Government-sponsored Cooking Bus, and eating a hearty school meal made from local food.

It concludes with an endorsement by the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Jane Hutt AM, and it supports several Assembly initiatives, including the school meals plan Appetite for Life. It will be distributed free to schools around Wales. The production was funded by RAFAEL, an EU project to promote authentic food in the Atlantic region.

An accompanying information sheet provides links to a range of organizations which can help schools, including the CAFE project in Powys, the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Eco Schools and the Healthy Schools Scheme.

Ends

Further information:

Jane Powell, Organic Centre Wales/FACE Wales, Aberystwyth University, Tel. 01970 621530, e-mail jnp@aber.ac.uk.

Nick Rebbeck, Education Officer, Learning on the Farm, 01570 470470, 07977 904949. e-mail nick.rebbeck@virgin.net 

Notes for the editor

1. The DVD can be seen on this webpage: www.organic.aber.ac.uk/schools or you can request a copy from Organic Centre Wales.

2. For more information on Organic Centre Wales, see www.organic.aber.ac.uk.

3. FACE Wales works in partnership with Organic Centre Wales, Learning on the Farm and the CAFE Project to promote understanding of farming and the countryside in schools. For more information see www.face-cymru.org.uk.

4. Learning on the Farm connects schools and local groups in Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea with the 'Outdoor Classroom' by providing visits to schools and to working farms, to learn about where food comes from and how it is produced. See www.learningonthefarm.org.uk

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