School children get a taste for greens at local salad farm
Vitacress, a leading fresh produce business in the UK, invited children from St Mary Bourne School to its farm in Hampshire on Monday 18th May.
A group of 27 pupils, from years 4 and 5, braved the wet weather and took part in a range of activities at the farm. The school children learnt about how watercress, rocket and baby leaf salad are grown, local wildlife and their habitats and the eco system of the river and land.
Vitacress also introduced the children to their innovative approach for dealing with pests - two hawks that help scare away vermin and protect crops. The highlight of the day for the children was to meet and hold one of the hawks.
Tony Reid from Vitacress said: “It’s proven that there is a higher chance of children adopting healthy eating habits when they see where their food comes from. It was a very wet day but it didn’t dampen the children’s enthusiasm for exploring the farm. We were pleased to welcome St Mary Bourne School and hope they went home sharing their new found knowledge of how watercress and salad leaves are grown and cared for. Perhaps we even nurtured a few more salad eaters.”
Mrs Adams, a teacher from St Mary Bourne Primary School added: “It was great for the children to leave the classroom behind and get hands on knowledge on where and how salad is grown. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day and were delighted to meet Dani, Vitacress’ very own hawk. We are always keen to promote healthy eating to the children and a visit to a working farm is fantastic in supporting this.”
Vitacress is the only salad brand in the UK with Fair to Nature status which means that 10% of the land is dedicated to nature and boosting biodiversity.