A TRADITIONAL vegetable show with a difference was staged yesterday – as young growers of the future laid out their prize specimens before the judges.
Bumper-sized leeks, carrots and onions were put on display in the hunt for trophies and prizes, but the age range of the green-fingered entrants was way below the normal level for such events.
The show – held at Cramlington Learning Village in Northumberland – featured the novice horticultural skills of pupils from 10 schools across the county.
Youngsters aged from five to 15 have spent months learning the basics of growing vegetables and tending gardens at their schools as part of a special project aimed at nurturing healthy lifestyles.
Yesterday the fruits of their labours were put on display before two judges at the show, which saw 170 children and 40 staff from the 10 schools bring along a host of exhibits.
Classes included the best two leeks, onions and carrots, the best school gardening journal, best scarecrow and the wackiest planter, with several cups and plaques on offer for the winning entries.
The event was organised by Blyth Star Enterprises, a mental health charity which runs a community nursery and horticultural unit at Stakeford near Ashington used by its clients.
The charity’s Growing Minds project involves staff working with about 10 schools each year to create raised beds and encourage pupils to get involved in growing vegetables, which are then used in the schools’ kitchens.
Yesterday’s show was the culmination of more than six months of work by the schools involved, each of which keeps a special Growing Minds journal which is then used as a teaching resource by the following year groups.
Pupils and their teachers brought along the best exhibits from their gardens to be judged by Billy Douglas from the Stakeford nursery and BBC North East gardening presenter Marian Foster.
The schools involved this year are St Michael’s First in Alnwick, Amble First, Collingwood School in Morpeth, Mowbray First in Guide Post, St Benedict’s First in Ashington, Hirst Middle in Ashington, Newsham First in Blyth, Holywell First and Meadowdale Middle in Bedlington.
Alan Davison, horticultural supervisor at the Stakeford nursery, runs the Growing Mind project and organised yesterday’s show. He said: “The whole idea of the project is to go out to schools and teach kids how to grow their own organic vegetables and food for the school kitchen. It is also spreading the healthy eating and five-a-day message and teaching kids about spoils and garden wildlife.”
Neil Hedley of Blyth Star Enterprises said: “Growing Minds is a case of we as a charity giving something back to the community by getting children involved in a mindset of growing and healthy eating at an early age.”
