Boris welcomes school food-growing funding boost
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Credit: National Trust
Every London school will be helped to become a food-growing school following the award of over £800,000 by the Big Lottery Fund to Garden Organic, the UK’s leading organic growing charity.
“Encouraging kids to grow food reaps a crop of educational, social and environmental benefits that go way beyond the school gate. We’ve seen from the success of our food growing initiative Capital Growth, that London is nurturing a renaissance in urban food growing,” said Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
The charity will use the money to help schools link up with volunteers, local businesses and community groups experienced in food growing and to support improvements in equipment and training for school staff.
Garden Organic led the government-backed Food Growing in School’s Taskforce which reported in March last year. The report highlighted the benefits of school gardens in deepening children’s understanding of how to eat healthily and the importance of the natural environment.