Getting involved

There are lots of ways to get involved. 

• By visiting the national Year of Food and Farming website  and getting on the Megamap, schools and organisations can let everyone know what they are doing to take part in the Year.   You can also register to receive e-newsletters, and there are resources to support schools in using the Year of Food and Farming in their curriculum areas.  
   
• Get in touch with Bedfordshire's Coordinator for the Year of Food and Farming about what is happening locally.

What help is available in Bedfordshire

Several schools have already requested help in specific areas and those requests are currently being organized and appropriate links researched.

Several Bedfordshire farmers have either offered to have a school out on a farm visit whilst others have offered to come in to school (with a machine/sample of crops/animal (disease regulations permitting) if transport costs prove prohibitive.  They have also expressed a willingness to be ‘at the end of a phone’ to assist with advice if a teacher needs help with a particular project, as well as offering practical help too (i.e. growing plants/vegetables etc). 

Tastes of Bedfordshire producers have also offered to help – either with explaining and demonstrating their local produce or, in some cases, assisting with some basic cookery*.

(*recruitment in this area has only recently started, but will continue as there seems to be quite a lot of interest in this topic).

What does your school need?

The above list is not exhaustive.  Please do contact me to discuss your particular needs further and I will try to match you request with the best person to help you.  (Tel: 01480 212772).  The FACE (Farming and Countryside Education website has a lot of useful information to help you decide on your requirements, plus a pack on ‘Why Farming Matters’ for either Primary/Secondary Education which shows how this information is tied in to the National Curriculum.  There are only a few hard copy packs left at present which you can still apply for ‘on line, but you can also download the information on the FACE website : www.face-online.org.uk/whyfarmingmatters

Further Information will be sent out to schools on a regular basis.