Hundreds of Peterborough pupils get hands dirty planting potatoes and lettuce

Pupils from Newark Hill Primary School attending the Kids Country grow your own potatoes event at the East of England Arena pictured withMegan Beard and Megan Hudson from G's Fresh EMN-220203-140404009

With a real focus on letting children get their hands dirty, the event was supported by local fresh produce businesses, Produce World and G’s Fresh, and local Fenland potato farmer, Farmer Luke.

The children will all return to the East of England Showground in June to harvest their potatoes, with prizes for the biggest yield.

Schools that took part were Leighton Primary School, Newark Hill Academy, Orton Wistow Primary School and William Law C of E Primary School.

Pupils from Leighton Primary School attending the Kids Country grow your own potatoes event at the East of England Arena. EMN-220203-140316009

Nicola Green, a teacher at Newark Hill Academy, said: “It was great for the children to get their hands dirty and learn about how potatoes and lettuce are grown, they really enjoyed it.”

Farmer Luke gave his top tips for looking after the potato plants, whilst the teams from Produce World and G’s Fresh helped the children understand how the produce gets from field to fork through their factories.

Farmers Annie, Clive and Mary also brought the history of Fenland potato farming to life with videos and re-enacting how potatoes were planted by hand.

Charlotte Dowding from G’s Fresh said: “It is so important for us to be involved in educating children where food comes from, for them to get their hands dirty, grow some vegetables, and for many, eat lettuce for the first time.”