The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
The cream of the crops
More than 200 school children from Cambridgeshire returned to the East of England Showground to harvest their potato crops with Kids Country last week.
The afternoon session saw Orton Wistow Primary School (pictured with William Law Primary) win both the best overall school harvest and best individual crop prizes.
With a real focus on letting children get their hands dirty, the event was supported by local fresh produce businesses, Burgess Farms, Albert Bartlett and G’s Fresh, helping the children harvest their crops and learn about and taste freshly grown salad respectively, whilst local Fenland potato farmers, Luke and Clive Abblitt, walked children through the history of potato farming locally.
The children all planted their potatoes with Kids Country – the East of England Agricultural Society’s education initiative - back in March, with the task of taking them back to school or home and looking after them until harvest time.
Charlotte Hubbard, Early Years Teacher at Newark Hill Academy, which won the best (heaviest) individual crop. said: “Having worked hard to take care of their potato plants at home, our children thoroughly enjoyed returning to harvest their crops. It was a very rewarding experience, even more so for having one of our pupils win the prize for the heaviest crop of potatoes! The morning was wellorganised, and the hands-on experiences really enabled our children to recognise the value of home-grown produce and learn all about maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.”