Hadleigh: Farmer Andrew Sturgeon takes Kersey Primary School pupils on pumpkin patch tour
Kersey Primary pupils at Lindsey Lodge Farm are pictured with grower Andrew Sturgeon - Credit: Archant
A grower took children on a tour of his pumpkin patch in the run-up to Halloween.
Kersey Primary pupils at Lindsey Lodge Farm. Pictured are class teacher Amy Dabbs, with Paul Robinson, produce Section Head at Hadleigh East of England Co-op store, and farmer Andrew Sturgeon with pupils from Kersey Primary School - Credit: Archant
Children from Kersey CEVC Primary School were shown East of England Co-op’s Sourced Locally grower Lindsey Lodge Farm of Hadleigh.
The farm supplies the East of England Co-op with local strawberries, raspberries, runner beans and especially for Halloween, pumpkins.
The seasonal squashes were a perfect way to engage the children, aged seven to nine, in topics such as seed dispersal and the plant life cycle.
Farmer Andrew Sturgeon said: “We were pleased to introduce Kersey School to our farm and help the children understand how we produce the food they see in their local shops. It was great to also be able to show how we both maintain and develop the natural environment.”
Kersey Primary pupils at Lindsey Lodge Farm - Credit: Archant
As well as expanding the children’s gardening knowledge, Kersey School have been introducing more cookery lessons to the learning in line with the new national curriculum.
Amy Dabbs, the class teacher joining the tour, said: “The children had a really enjoyable visit and had lots of questions for Andrew. The visit was a wonderful opportunity to take the learning outside of the classroom and bring our learning to life.”
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Introduced seven years ago, the East of England Co-op’s Sourced Locally range has grown from just a few suppliers to more than 140, bringing more than 2,400 local products to stores.
Demand for local produce has been strong, growing by 30% in the last 12 months, the retail chain says, demonstrating the growing importance of local suppliers.
Kersey Primary pupils at Lindsey Lodge Farm - Credit: Archant
Garry Spinks, manager of the East of England Co-op supermarket at Hadleigh, said: “We love to see the local pumpkins come into the store – and today’s visit was a great way to show the children how the pumpkins grow and tell them more about where their food comes from.”
Lodge Farm’s large pumpkins are available at East of England Co-op stores at Hadleigh, Halstead, Darsham Hamper, Stanway, Lavenham and Abbots Road, Colchester.
