Year of Food and Farming  in Bedfordshire

A local Steering Group has been set up to discuss what could be offered to assist local schools.  Following a successful bid for funding to EEDA, BRCC has been able to employ a coordinator since late November to take the initiative forward.  Anne-Marie Hamilton is working to develop strong links between local farmers and food producers and local schools. 

Our objective is that these links will endure way beyond the initial Year of Food and Farming.

Information on support available and on YOFF events and activities in Bedfordshire is being posted on this site. Follow the links on the right.

Latest Update

2 May 2008

Farmers -  Ever thought about hosting occasional visits to your farm from schools or other groups?    A two-hour short course for farmers is being held on Monday 19th May 2008, 9.30 – 11.30 am Millennium Barn, Lodge Farm, near Shefford.  The course is designed to give you tips and help on how to set up one-off visits to your farm with minimal difficulty. The Setting up Educational Visits on Farms session gives you space to think whether you can get involved without any obligation to do so. View flyer here for more information.  This course is FREE! but places must be booked as numbers are limited.

 27 February 2008

• A letter has gone out to all Bedfordshire schools offering free help and support from local farmers with relevant areas of the National Curriculum.  There has been a very good response from local schools who would like more information on what is on offer
   
• 16 local farmers have already signed up to help and more are being actively recruited to meet the demand
   
• A database of useful information and areas of help is being compiled for use by schools by the Bedfordshire Co-coordinator.  This information will be sent out to all interested schools by email and will be updated on a regular basis.
   
• A ‘Library’ of relevant materials is being compiled for use by schools (i.e. videos, literature, etc).
   
• Shuttleworth College has offered two Events this year as part of the year of Food and Farming – a Lambing Event (Jan/Feb) and later in the summer term, an Arable Event.  (Contact Lynn Vanstone on 01767 626241 for further details).
   
• Schools that are interested in taking part in the Year of Food and Farming and beyond are requested to register on the ‘Megamap’ on the Year of Food and Farming website www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk as this will make it easier to locate local farmers who can assist them.
   
• The Royal Horticultural Society is keen to help schools with growing projects and is looking to sign them up.  This is currently being researched further for you and the information will be produced very shortly.
   
• Plans are underway with Tastes of Bedfordshire to invite schools within walking distance to visit a local Farmers Market and talk to producers.
   
• The Bedfordshire Young Farmers Rally and Country Show is being held on 17^th May at Shuttleworth, Old Warden Park, near Biggleswade and this year will include classes for Bedfordshire school children.  First prize will be £20 in each category.  The age ranges for the different classes are as follows:

• 5 Years and Under – Mixed media collage depicting the season of spring.
  6 to 7 years            -  Mixed media collage depicting the season of autumn
  8 to 9 years            -  Mixed media collage depicting farming in summer
  10 – 13 years         -  An A3 poster depicting the Year of Food and Farming 2008

20 February

• The Year of Food and Farming celebrations got underway in Bedfordshire this week when fourteen pupils from Ridgeway School, Kempston were welcomed by students and staff to Home Farm at Shuttleworth College to take part in the Lambing Event.  More