Southwark school kids find route to healthier eating in Borough Market

BY JAMES TWOMEY
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

Schoolchildren set up shop to trade their school-grown fruit and veg at Borough Market last week.

Children from Southwark schools sold a wide variety of fruit and vegetables they had grown at the market in The Harvest Sale, raising £576.75 for charity FareShare.

The charity seeks to relieve food poverty by rescuing good food that would otherwise go to waste.
The money raised will provide more than 2,300 meals for vulnerable families across the capital.

Schools which took part were Charles Dickens Primary, St James’s C of E Primary, Hollydale Primary School, Brunswick Park and St Jude’s CE Primary School.

The Harvest Sale is part of a deal between Borough Market and School Food Matters, a charity which tries to ensure that every child enjoys fresh, sustainable food at school and understands where their food comes from.

The programme started in spring, when pupils were taught some green-fingered tips from Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins.

They were also taught some top trading techniques from the Borough Market team and taken on a tour to meet Market traders.

To date, more than children kids from 84 schools have grown and sold more than 45 varieties of fruit and vegetables at London’s 1,000-year-old market, and FareShare have provided 17,000 meals for
vulnerable families.

Kate Howell, development director of Borough Market, said: “We’ve been working with local schools for eight years now, training up the next generation of market traders and encouraging young people to experience the joy of sowing, harvesting and selling – and of course ultimately enjoying eating the fresh fruit and veg that they’ve grown themselves.”