Kids project a hit

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More than 60 primary schoolchildren from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire are to benefit from the expansion of a major allotment project at Waterperry Gardens near Wheatley.

Last year 20 youngsters from Year 3 at Ickford School were given a patch of the ornamental garden to plant up and grow their own vegetables. They then followed the progress of their veg right through to the autumn, before displaying some of their produce at Thame Show in September.

It proved so successful that this year three local primary schools will be taking part – Ickford, Wheatley and Great Milton, in an effort to teach the youngsters more about healthy eating, and encourage them to take an interest in gardening and vegetable growing.

Three raised vegetable beds are being built in an area the size of a five-a-side football pitch, within the walled garden at Waterperry. A further three pumpkin patches will also be built, with the youngsters encouraged to compete to grow the biggest specimen.

Staff from Waterperry will maintain the plot with help from the youngsters, who’ll make regular visits to the garden throughout the summer to see how their crops are doing.

The allotment project will be launched on Tuesday 24 April, when the children will be at Waterperry to start planting up the young plants, and the whole project will be captured on film by ITV Thames Valley, who’ll be following the youngsters’ progress.

Waterperry Gardens are open daily from 9am-5.30pm March to October and 9am-5pm November to February. Apart form the walled garden, there are eight acres of landscaped gardens to see as well as tea and garden shops.

For more information visit: www.waterperrygardens.co.uk or call: 01844 339254. Entry for adults is £3 until the end of March, £4.50 from April onwards and costs £3 for children and £3.75 for senior citizens.

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Primrose
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What a heartening project. If only we can get the younger generation growing vegetables on an increasing scale perhaps we wouldn't be having to sign all these distressing petitions to save our allotments.
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