Year of Food and Farming with Tamar Grow Local

As you may be aware this is the Year of Food & Farming. As part of this national initiative Tamar Grow Local has been registered as an organisation which can provide support and advice to schools.

If you are interested in carrying out activities as part of the Year of Food & Farming, such as developing growing areas, planting community orchards, seasonal cookery sessions, fruit pressing, or creating links with farms in the area. As part of this celebration we are also keen to promote the rich market gardening history of the Valley.

If you are a school or farm interested in getting involved please contact us for further information on – info@tamargrowlocal.org.uk. We look forward to working with you on this exciting initiative!

To find out more information about the Year of Food and Farming look at www.yearoffoodandfarming

Current Projects

Calstock School

Last academic year we held several cookery events at the school, which developed various parts of the curriculum. This included a family food, which involved all classes and many parents attended. Diana Lee ran these and highlighted where the ingredients had come from and the seasonal nature of these.

In 2007 we ran an apple pressing event at the school, with each class, in which every child helped to mill and press apples they had brought to school and then taste the apple juce! They also planted a local Cornish apple variety for each class in the school grounds. We have also helped to secure some funding from the Primary Health Care Trust to carry out some further seasonal cookery workshops in the spring. We hope to publish the report for this work, to assist with other schools.

Landulph School

Last academic year we helped to establish a new allotments garden for the school, together with parents and teachers. Despite being fairly late in the season, using organic plug plants, we were able to establish a garden quickly, together with donations of strawberry plants, potatoes and manure from some local growers and farmers! This year we hope to improve this plot using raised beds.

In 2007 we ran an apple pressing event at the school, and also planted a local Cornish apple variety for each class. The school also utilised apples in various parts of the curriculum.

We have also helped to secure some funding from the Primary Health Care Trust to carry out some further seasonal cookery workshops in the spring, including produce from the allotment, which will include a family food day. We hope to publish the report for this work, to assist with other schools.

St. Mellion

We have helped to secure some funding from the Primary Health Care Trust to carry out some growing areas and seasonal cookery sessions at the school.

Delaware School

We will be assisting this school to involve classes in growing activities and cookery workshops this year.

We would be pleased to provide support and advice to other schools in the Tamar Valley. Please contact us.

Photo credit- Calstock School photos by Ley Roberts

Teaching Resources

Please find below some other links to relevant teaching resources and websites: