Local primary school children will become market traders for one day next week, as they sell their school-grown fruit and vegetables to the public, raising money for a food redistribution charity.
The children will be selling their produce on Tuesday 12 July from 12.00 – 2.00pm, at Paradise Place within Liverpool ONE (outside John Lewis & Partners).
The programme, called Young Marketeers, is run by the charity School Food Matters, and gives children the opportunity to grow food from seed with the help of expert gardeners, before harvesting and selling their fresh and tasty produce to their local community.
Dozens of enterprising children from four participating schools will sell potatoes, carrots, chard, herbs, raspberries and more at their stalls on the day, putting the marketing training they’ve had into practice.
All the money raised at the sale will be donated to FareShare Merseyside, which redistributes surplus food to vulnerable people in the area.
School Food Matters Development Manager Dela Foster said:
“Many children are so disconnected from the origins of the food they eat that they forget everything starts with plants in the ground. In this programme, children see from hands-on experience where their food comes from, so that they can think more about what they choose to eat and the impact it has on the planet.
“We want every child to have the opportunity to grow their own food, so that this experience is carried with them throughout their life. Please come and buy some of their delicious, locally grown veg on Tuesday 12 July.”
School Food Matters teaches children about food through a range of engaging school projects and works to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable meals during their time at school.
This is the third year the charity has delivered Young Marketeers outside of London, where the programme began more than a decade ago. School Food Matters is calling out to local organisations and businesses interested in promoting food education and sustainability to get involved and ensure the programme can continue in Liverpool both next year and beyond.
In a 2021 survey of children taking part in Young Marketeers, all said the programme taught them a new gardening skill, while three-quarters (75%) said they learned something new about where food comes from. Also, 63% of teachers said it gave them greater confidence in teaching cooking and growing.
Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE, said:
“Championing sustainability is something we are incredibly passionate about at Liverpool ONE, so we are thrilled to welcome the Young Marketeers to sell the produce they’ve been working hard to grow and raise funds for such a good cause.
“We’re looking forward to seeing and tasting some delicious fresh fruit and veg, and we’re confident that our visitors will fully support these young people to raise as much as possible.”
The schools taking part include St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School, St Sebastian’s Catholic Primary School, St Hughes Catholic Primary School and The Beacon CE Primary School.
