'Walking the Food Chain' in Cumbria takes off
Primary children in north Cumbria have been visiting local farms recently to find out more about how food is produced. They have had ice cream tastings at Gelt House Farm, Brampton, yoghurt tastings at Hill Top Farm, Ivegill and cheese demonstrations at Low Wood Farm. Warwick Bridge. Most of the children also had a chance to take part in an ‘auction’ courtesy of Harrison and Hetherington Ltd, and some will also meet the local vet or have a go at milking. An army of volunteers, dedicated to educating young people about farming and food production, gave up their time and normal work to take part in the project. ‘We have such tremendous support’ says Ian Powley of the Cumberland Agricultural Society ‘we could not have undertaken this project without them’. From the 14th to 24th April over 900 children from north Cumbrian primary schools visited farms in the area to learn why farming matters and to understand where their food comes from. Using six volunteer farms over 8 days, the Cumberland Agricultural Society set up this project, taking classes from local schools, to demonstrate different aspects of farm life and food production to the children. The project fits with the aims of the society and is being run with the support of the Cumberland Building Society, the Government Office for the North West, the NFU and many other local businesses. The project finishes with a competition to win cash prizes for schools, and which will be displayed at the Cumberland County Show on Saturday 19th July, and judged by Lord Rooker of DEFRA.