St. Mary’s keen on greens

Groundwork Education Officer, Dene Marland with pupils from St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Littleborough

Keen youngsters from St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Littleborough have been getting stuck into their new school allotment, thanks to the ‘Fresh Foods for Fresh Pupils’ project.

The ‘Fresh Foods for Fresh Pupils’ project involved education staff from Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale supporting St. Mary’s in setting up an allotment within their school grounds. The Big Lottery and Local Foods funded project also includes classroom sessions to teach pupils about food growing.

The year 3 pupils have been growing their own fresh fruits and vegetables using all the skills and knowledge they have learnt from Groundwork Education Officer, Dene Marland.

Dene said: “I can’t believe how well the children have absorbed all the information they have been given. Not only that, but they have succeeded in growing a wide range of vegetables for their school.”

Wiktoria Grabowsk, aged 8, said about the project: “I really enjoyed it, especially growing all the different fruits.”

The project will inspire a generation of keen gardeners from the local area and also allow for the sharing of knowledge to people of all ages from the wider community, each understanding the importance and benefits of fresh local foods.