London’s top food growing pupils unveiled

Blue Peter gardener announces winners of Capital Growth schools competition

Growing food in the head-teacher’s shoes, creating a bug hotel and using own-grown rhubarb for school lunches are just some of the great grow-your-own ideas being used by the top gardening pupils receiving Capital Growth awards today (Monday 12 July).

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has congratulated the most creative young food growing winners as part of the inaugural Capital Growth schools competition. The winners were unveiled by the Blue Peter gardener, Chris Collins and Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, at one of the triumphant schools in Haringey. Chris delivered a master-class as part of their prize by helping the kids create mini-greenhouses made out of plastic drink bottles.

More than 50 primary schools have been growing food over the last six months as part of the competition designed to help fuel a passion for ‘grow your own’ in pupils, parents and teachers alike whilst creating new or expanded plots.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘Bravo to these amazing young food growers. The range of imaginative ideas shown to our judges was quite astonishing. Collectively our Capital Growth schools, whether winners or not, are helping to beautify our city through a patch work of fantastic food growing plots.’

Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, said: 'London's primary pupils, teachers and parents have done us proud. These Capital Growth kids have us shown that whatever your age, you can cultivate an urban oasis of fruit and veg. Many congratulations to everyone who took part and of course to our fantastic winners.'

The winners will win a master class from top gardeners Chris Collins, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall or Sarah Raven, along with a clutch of gardening goodies.

Chris Collins, who delivered his top tips to winning South Harringay Infant school, said: 'The greatest classroom of all is the one outside the door and when I garden with kids this is proven to me time and time again. Congratulations to all who entered the competition and I look forward to meeting the winners.'

The winning schools are:

'Bugs and Slugs' (a garden focused on biodiversity);

Overall winner - Pooles Park Primary School, Finsbury Park.

Food growing in the school is well integrated into the school curriculum and produce is used in the schools kitchen and for special school events - they even sell surplus food through a weekly afternoon food stall and at the school fair. There is a high level of awareness of the importance of biodiversity to successful food growing and the school actively encourages insects and wildlife including the provision of a ‘bug hotel’. Parents, teachers and children a like are enthusiastic and passionate about the project and there dedication has led to the development of an inspirational project.

High commended – St Stephen’s CE Junior school, Twickenham, Richmond.
Runners up - Wandle Valley School, Sutton; East Sheen Primary School, Richmond; Middlerow Primary, Kensington & Chelsea.

'Collect and Create' (a garden encouraging the reuse and recycling of 'waste' items);

Overall winner - Chatsworth Primary School.

The judges were very impressed with the impact of the project on the whole school and the commitment of the headmaster, teachers and all the school to make food growing and outdoor learning part of the curriculum. Parents are involved and invited to help out on a weekly basis as part of a ‘green gym’ garden activities. Their produce has also been used by school kitchen staff that have been keen to make use of produce such as using rhubarb in crumble. The school re-uses and recycles interesting containers for food growing, making an event and stories out of them. They have their caretaker’s old milk trolley, broken lawn mowers, the headmaster’s shoes, old headlamps, handbags, dustbin lids.

Highly commended – Fairway primary school, Barnet
Runners up - Bedonwell Infant & Nursery School, Bexley; Starksfield Primary, Enfield; Baden Powell School, Hackney.

'Climate Cool' (a garden designed to cope with a changing climate);

Overall winner - South Harringay Infants School, Haringey:

The school has no green space and has managed to grow a selection of food in their urban grounds.  They have used old tyres and sinks for growing, parents at the school have made raised beds and the children are now growing peas, potatoes, squash, courgettes, beans and onions alongside a selection of herbs.  The school has set up a gardening club and an eco-friendly watering system for the vegetables.  All 180 of the children harvest the vegetables at the end of the year and use the new growing space as an outdoor classroom. The schools food growing has been documented through diaries and the produce is used for cookery lessons.

Highly commended - St David’s College, Bromley

Runners up - Montem Primary, Islington; Johanna Primary, Lambeth; St Joseph's Primary, Islington.

The top food growing schools in each category have won a visit by a celebrity gardener, cash prizes of £500, plants and a wormery. There will also be prizes for the 12 runners up including fruit and vegetable packs and gardening tools.

By entering the competition schools are helping to meet Capital Growth's target to create 2012 community food growing spaces by 2012. Schools received a welcome pack, access to curriculum links, lesson planners, volunteers, practical support and advice, help with getting discounts on gardening items and free materials plus an opportunities to apply for small grants and training sessions.

Capital Growth was launched in 2008 by Rosie and Mayor, Boris Johnson, to boost grow your own in the capital. Developed and managed by London Food Link, part of Sustain, it now has more than 500 spaces already being cultivated across the capital in a diverse range of places including schools and canal banks, roofs, private gardens open to the community and parks. Capital Growth is also working with large organisations such as Transport for London and British Waterways along with borough food growing programmes such as Edible Islington.

Prizes and support for the competition are being provided by London in Bloom (http://www.londoninbloom.co.uk/); Garden Organic (http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/); the Royal Horticultural Society (http://www.rhs.org.uk/); Fiskars (http://www.fiskarsgarden.co.uk/) Wiggly Wigglers (http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/); School Food Matters (http://www.schoolfoodmatters.com/); Rocket Gardens (http://www.rocketgardens.co.uk/); The Seed Pantry (http://www.seedpantry.co.uk/); Gardening Express (http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/)

For more information, visit: www.capitalgrowth.org/schools. Details of the 2011 Capital Growth schools competition will be announced later this year.

Ends

Notes to editors: 

• Capital Growth is funded by the Mayor of London and by Local Food, part of the Big Lottery Fund's Local Food Scheme. It is managed by London Food Link, part of the environment charity, Sustain. The programme was awarded a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Commendation this year for its success in getting communities growing.
• Boosting the amount of locally grown food in London has a range of health and environmental benefits, such as improving access to nutritious, low cost food in urban areas and helping to increase flood protection.  It also reduces food miles and cuts carbon emissions. There is rising interest in self-grown food and inner London boroughs have waiting lists for allotments that can be decades long.
• Since the 16th century, Fiskars has been dedicated to producing products unrivalled in development, design and quality. As the number one global brand of garden tools, Fiskars continues to lead the way in developing precision garden tools, specially engineered to be powerful, lightweight, ergonomic and easy to use. Fiskars actively supports gardeners of all ages. Not only is gardening a great way to get children active but the reward in growing their own food will help encourage a lifetime of pleasure and healthy eating.
• Rocket Gardens whole-heartedly supports the Capital Growth initiative and is excited to be providing its instant gardens to turn London’s unused space into productive community areas. Rocket Gardens believe that growing your own food can make a lasting difference to all our lives and so we’ve made it quick and easy for everyone- even those with no gardening experience- to start growing. The Capital Growth project ties in perfectly with Rocket Gardens’  ‘Dig for the Future’ schools campaign, which aims to get 1 million children growing their own food by the end of 2010.
• Wiggly Wigglers is an award-winning, natural gardening company. Based on Lower Blakemere Farm in rural Herefordshire they help compost your waste with wormeries, bokashi systems and garden composters; feed garden birds with home grown birdfeeds and mealworms; bring gardens to life with wildlife friendly wildflowers and native hedging; grow fresh salads and vegetables - http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/