FOUR thousand children descended on the home of the Suffolk Show to learn about food, farming and the countryside.

The School Farm and Country Fair took place at Trinity Park, Ipswich, yesterday.

The fair, which is in its 13th year, is organised by the Suffolk Agricultural Association and aims to stimulate children’s interest in the countryside and farming.

The event saw the children, from 95 different Suffolk schools, enjoy a number of live demonstrations including sheep shearing, ferret racing and gun dog displays.

Other exciting activities that happened throughout the day ranged from re-enacting 1940s farming in costume, baby chick hatching and bread and sausage making.

Around 200 volunteer stewards were on hand to guide the pupils round the activities, including the Food and Countryside Experience marquees.

Suffolk Agricultural Association chairman and Clopton arable farmer John Taylor said he wanted all schoolchildren to experience the event during their primary school education following a “successful day of fun learning”.

He said: “I would love to see food and farming significantly higher on the national curriculum, so children, parents and teachers can all appreciate the importance of the countryside to their food.

“It was amazing how the children and teachers interacted with the different exhibitions, of which there were more than 70. They were fully engrossed and learnt a lot.”

Sophie Gurney-Savage, Key Stage Two teacher at St Benet’s Primary School in Beccles, said the event was an important learning tool for her pupils.

“They had a wonderful day,” she said. “There were loads of hands-on and interactive activities for them to get stuck into.”