Celebrity gardeners line up to help kids get growing this spring
Top name gardeners Monty Don, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Chris Collins and Sarah Raven have pledged to offer their top gardening tips in person to London's best young gardeners as part of a competition to get primary schools growing fruit and veg.
The Capital Growth schools competition was announced earlier this year by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to encourage young people to grow their own food. More than 100 schools have already taken up this challenge by registering for the competition. The Mayor has today confirmed that Monty Don, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Chris Collins and Sarah Raven have pledged their support by offering to visit a winning school. The top school in each category will win a visit by one of the expert gardeners along with cash prizes of £500, plants and a wormery. Schools still have until 18 June 2010 to register for the competition.
Alongside the main winners, twelve runners up will be in line for other prizes including fruit and vegetable packs and gardening tools. Just for entering the competition, green-fingered pupils and teachers will receive a welcome pack, free materials, lesson planners, volunteers, practical support and help with getting discounts on gardening items.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘Classroom theory is no substitute for getting your hands dirty and learning how to grow your own grub. There is plenty of time still to get involved in this competition especially now that Spring appears to have finally sprung. I hope the chance to receive a master class from some of the UK's top gardeners will inspire even more primary schools to get growing.’
Rosie Boycott, the Chair of London Food Board, who launched the competition at a primary school in Islington in January, said: 'Spring is definitely upon us making the ideal conditions for kids and teachers to start growing. This is a wonderful time of year to start a food plot as recent warm weather is finally seeing seeds and buds burst into life.'
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There are three categories for schools to enter: 'Bugs and Slugs', with a focus on biodiversity, 'Collect and Create', a garden encouraging the re-use and recycling of 'waste' items, and 'Climate Cool' – a patch designed to cope with a changing climate. Schools with existing gardens will be encouraged to start growing food, expand their plots or start planting food from scratch. Judging London’s top school gardens will be Rosie Boycott, the chair of London Food, Peter Holman, CEO of London in Bloom, Katie Law from the Evening Standard and a representative of London Food Link, the charity that manage Capital Growth.
For more information on the schools competition including how to register, visit: www.capitalgrowth.org/schools
Prizes and support for the competition are being provided by London in Bloom (http://www.londoninbloom.co.uk/); Gardening Express (http://www.gardeningexpress.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/); the Seed Pantry (http://www.seedpantry.co.uk/) and Rocket Gardens (http://www.rocketgardens.co.uk/)
The competition is part of the Mayor's Capital Growth scheme to cultivate 2,012 new food-producing spaces across the capital by the end of 2012. Managed by London Food Link, Capital Growth has already signed up hundreds of plots across London in a diverse range of places including by stations, alongside canal banks, in housing estates and on roofs.
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Notes to editors
- The competition has been organised to promote Capital Growth – a scheme funded by the Mayor of London and by Local Food, part of the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Scheme. To enter the competition, schools need to register with Capital Growth.
- The competition is open to all London primary schools that have set up a food growing space since January 2009; those who are expanding an existing food growing project; and schools that wish to start new food growing project.
- Each school can enter only one category and submit only one application.
- The closing date for competition entries is 18 June 2010.
- The Capital Growth team will make a shortlist of schools at the end of June 2010 followed by visits to the finalists.
Announcement of category winners will be in July 2010. Visits by celebrity gardeners to winning schools will be arranged to take place in 2010.
- A talented writer, broadcaster and campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is widely known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food. His books, journalism and series for Channel 4 have earned him a huge popular following. Hugh started living in the original River Cottage in rural Dorset in 1998, determined to start growing and rearing some of his own food. His steep learning curve was documented in the Escape to River Cottage series (1999), which won him a big audience. Following this success, and the publication of The River Cottage Cookbook (2001) which won several awards, he was able to establish River Cottage HQ near Bridport in 2004. Hugh is the founder of Landshare which brings people together who have a passion for home-grown food. Landshare came out of TV’s River Cottage. It began when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall helped some Bristol families grow veg on derelict council land. The experience was so inspiring, that River Cottage decided to see if it would work nationwide. Now Landshare is a national movement of more than 45,000 people. http://www.landshare.net/ / http://www.rivercottage.net/
- Monty Don is one of the UK's best known gardeners. He writes regularly about gardening and has presented a range of TV gardening programmes including a former host of Gardener's World.
- Chris Collins is the Blue Peter gardener. He is committed to encouraging children to garden and discover the joy of growing. http://chriscollins.org.uk/
- Sarah Raven is a writer, cook, broadcaster and teacher, is the expert on all things to grow, cut and eat from your garden. She regularly writes for The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and Waitrose Magazine and has presented BBC Gardeners’ World. Her gardening and cookery books have won her her a number of awards including Best Specialist Gardening book for The Cutting Garden and Cookery Book of the Year for Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook. Her latest book Cooking for Family and Friends is due out May 2010. http://www.sarahraven.com/
- 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.
School Name Address Borough
The Mount School The Mount School, Milespit Hill Barnet
Akiva primery school 80 East End Road Barnet
Hollickwood JMI Primary School Sydney Road, Muswell Hill Barnet
Fairway Primary School The Fairway, Mill Hill Barnet
Claremont Primary School Claremont Road Barnet
Oakleigh School Oakleigh Road North Barnet
St Paul's CE Primary School The Avenue Barnet
Danson Primary School Danson Lane, Welling Kent Bexley
Bedonwell Infant and Nursery School Bedonwell Road Bexley
Princess Frederica Primary School College Road Brent
Oak Lodge Primary School Chamberlain Crescent Bromley
Royston Primary School High Street, Penge Bromley
Hawes Down Infant School The Mead, West Wickham Bromley
St David's College 42 Kings Hall Road Bromley
Blenheim Primary and Nursery Class Blenheim Road Bromley
The Ravensbourne School Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent Bromley
St Paul’s School (£500) Elsworthy Road Camden
St Aloysius RC Infants School (£1,050) 28, Phoenix Road Camden
St Vincent de Paul RC Primary School Morpeth Terrace City of Westminster
St Joseph's Junior School Woodend, Upper Norwood Croydon
Kingsley Primary School Thomson Crescent, Croydon Croydon
West Twyford Primary Twyford Abbey Road Ealing
Starks Field Primary School 167 Church Street Enfield
West Lea School Haselbury Road, Edmonton Enfield
Lavender Primary School (£850) Lavender Road, Enfield Enfield
Hazelbury Infant’s School Haselbury Road Enfield
Latymer All Saints CoE Primary School 41 Hydethorpe Avenue Enfield
Bowes Primary School Bowes Road, New Southgate Enfield
St mary's Catholic Primary School Durants Road, Ponders End Enfield
Alma Primary School Alma Road, Enfield Enfield
Blackheath High School Wemyss Road, Blackheath Greenwich
South Rise Primary School Brewery Road, Plumstead Greenwich
Middle Park Primary School (£850) Middle Park Avenue, Eltham Greenwich
Benthal Primary School (£950) Benthal Road Hackney
Colvestone Primary School (£300) Colvestone Crescent Hackney
Jubilee Primary School Filey Avenue Hackney
Lubavitch Ruth Lunzer Girls Primary 107-115 Stamford Hill Hackney
Rokesly Junior School Hermiston Avenue Haringey
St Pauls and All Hallows Junior School Worcester Avenue Haringey
Bruce Grove Primary School Sperling Road Haringey
North Harringay Primary School (£850) Falkland Road, Hornsey Haringey
Campsbourne School Nightingale Lane, Hornsey Haringey
Coleraine Park Primary School Glendish Road, Tottenham Haringey
St Teresa's First and Middle School Long Elmes, Harrow, Middx Harrow
Aylward First and Middle School Pangbourne Drive, Stanmore Harrow
Whitchurch First School Wemborough Road Harrow
Cranford Park Primary School Phelps Way, Harlington Hillingdon
Glebe Primary School Sussex Road, Ickenham Hillingdon
Yeading Infant's School Carlyon Road Hayes Hillingdon
West Drayton Primary School Kingston Lane, Middlesex Hillingdon
Oriel Primary School Hounslow Road, Hanworth Hounslow
Chatsworth Primary School Heath Road, Hounslow Hounslow
St Marks CE Primary School Sussex Way Islington
Montem Primary School Hornsey Road Islington
Pooles Park Primary School Lennox Road, Finsbury Park Islington
Hungerford School and Children's Centre Hungerford Road Islington
Middle Row Primary School (£500) Kensal Road Kensington and Chelsea
Burlington Junior School Burlington Road, New Malden Kingston upon Thames
Archbishop Sumner Primary Reedworth Street Lambeth
Julian's Primary School 226 Leigham Court Road Lambeth
Jubilee Primary School Tulse Hill Lambeth
Forster Park Primary School Boundfield Road, Catford Lewisham
John Ball Primary School Southvale Road, Blackheath Lewisham
Sir Francis Drake Primary School Scawen Road, Lewisham Lewisham
Sacred Heart Primary School Burlington Road, New Malden Merton
West Wimbledon Primary School Bodnant Gardens Merton
Bond Primary School Bond Road, Mitcham, Surrey Merton
St Thomas of Canterbury Commonside East Merton
Hollymount School Cambridge road Merton
Morden Primary School (£448) London Road, Morden Merton
Britannia Village Primary School Westwood Road Newham
Woodgrange Infant’s School Sebert Road, Forest Gate Newham
New City Primary School New City Road, Plaistow Newham
Gallions Primary School (£1,000) Warwall, Beckton Newham
Keir Hardie Primary School Edwin Street, Canning Town Newham
Earlham Primary School Earlham Grove, Forest Gate, Newham
Sandringham Primary School Sandringham Road, Forest gate Newham
Snaresbrook Primary School Meadow Walk, South Woodford Redbridge
Wanstead Church School Church Path, Wanstead Redbridge
Woodlands Infant’s School Loxford Lane Redbridge
Sheen Mount Primary School West Temple Sheen Richmond upon Thames
St. Stephen's CE Junior School Winchester Road, Twickenham Richmond upon Thames
Sheen Mount Primary School West Temple Sheen Richmond upon Thames
East Sheen Primary School Upper Richmond Road Richmond upon Thames
Trafalgar Junior School Elmsleigh Road, Twickenham Richmond upon Thames
Lowther Primary School Stillingfleet Road, Barnes Richmond upon Thames
Goodrich Community Primary School Dunstans Road, East Dulwich Southwark
Dulwich College Prep School 42 Alleyn Park, Dulwich Southwark
Surrey Square Junior School Surrey Square Southwark
St. John's Catholic Primary School St. Elmo's Road Southwark
Wandale Valley School (£780) Welbeck Road, Carshalton Sutton
Robin Hood Juniors Thorncroft Road Sutton Surrey Sutton
Stanley Park Junior School Stanley Park Road, Carshalton Sutton
Robin Hood Infants School Robin Hood Lane, Sutton Sutton
Amy Johnson Primary School Mollison Drive Roundshaw Sutton
Nonsuch Primary School Chadacre Road Sutton
Dorchester Primary School Dorchester Road, Worcester Park Sutton
Hermitage Primary School 15 Vaughan Way Tower Hamlets
Lawdale Primary School Mansford Street Tower Hamlets
Mission Grove Primary School Buxton Road, Walthamstow Waltham Forest
Downsell Primary School 14B Chadwick Road, Leytonstone Waltham Forest
Walthamstow Montessori School Penryhn Hall, Penryhn Avenue Waltham Forest
Wix Primary School 55 Marney Road Wandsworth
Christ Church CE Primary School Batten Street Wandsworth
