Sow it. Grow it. Share it! – Summer Term
A celebration of summer, sunshine and food growing in your school playground. Plant a seed, and watch your school garden grow. Then share a delicious home-grown lunch with your friends, school and community – on your very own Picnic Day! Learn how to grow, cook and prepare home-made dips, sandwiches, salads, and desserts – packed full of nature’s goodness. A picnic feast for the whole community.
Why Grow Your Own Picnic?
Grow Your Own Picnic gives your school the opportunity to engage all pupils, teachers and the local community through your school garden, by growing, cooking and sharing your produce, and using it to deliver elements of your school curriculum.
Competitions and Offers 2015
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, with competition sponsor Michael Hedges, Managing Director of Chase Organics and The Organic Gardening Catalogue, awarding first prize for the Grow Your Own School Garden Competition to Richard Challoner School, Kingston. Photo Jane Baker/Garden Organic
Grow Your Own School Garden Competition 2015
For schools who are not yet growing
The Food Growing Schools: London partnership launched a fantastic new London schools gardening competition for London schools to enter who aren’t yet growing food. Schools had to create a garden team, plan a school garden from scratch and create and equipment wishlist.
Congratulations – to the following three winning London schools:
1st Prize – Richard Challoner School (Kingston)
2nd Prize – Our Lady of Grace Catholic Infant School (Brent)
3rd Prize – Richmond Park Academy (Richmond)
Award Ceremony – took place at the Schools Marketplace, City Hall on Thursday 9th July 2015.
Expert Judge – the competition was judged by Chris Collins, BBC TV Gardener.
Competition Sponsors – The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Haxnicks, VegTrug.
Competition details here: News and Competitions
Grow Your Own Picnic 2015
Photography Competition
Capital Growth also ran a photography competition to celebrate what London schools are growing, as part of Grow Your Own Picnic 2015.
Congratulations – to the following three winning London schools:
- Trafalgar Infant School. Category: Picture of your garden/produce taken by a child under 18 (below, portrait)
- Brunswick Park School. Category: Pupils planting, harvesting, cooking or eating your picnic (below, left)
Christchurch Primary School. Category: School volunteers helping pupils in the garden (below, right)
Events 2015
Schools Marketplace, City Hall
Schools receive surprise Mayor of London visit at the School’s Marketplace, City Hall
Christ Church Church of England School (Wandsworth) eagerly selling their school produce at the Schools Marketplace at City Hall. Photo: Jane Baker/Garden Organic.
The Schools’s Marketplace at City Hall, on Thursday 9th July, was a huge success, with 10 London schools battling their way through the London tube strike to arrive laden with produce to sell to the public. During the School’s Marketplace the school’s had a surprise visit from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson who visited every one of their stalls and went home with armfuls of school-grown produce. As you can imagine, the students (and teachers!), were very excited to welcome this special guest.
Grow Your Own School Garden Competition – Announcing the Winners!
At the School’s Marketplace The Mayor of London also took part in giving out the prizes at our ‘Grow your Own School Garden Competition’ Award Ceremony, with our generous competition sponsors. A huge thank you to The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Haxnicks and VegTrug for donating the competition prizes. Congratulations to the following three schools who received their awards to huge applause, and look forward to setting up their own school gardens. Read more.
Schools Marketplace, Thurs 9 July 2015 – participating school stallholders:
Congratulations to all these enterprising schools. You were amazing!
- Bensham Manor, Croydon
- Bethnal Green Academy, Tower Hamlets
- Charlton Park Academy, Greenwich
- Christ Church CE Primary, Wandsworth
- Glebe School, Bromley
- Park View Secondary, Haringey
- Rhyl Primary, Camden
- Selwyn Primary, Newham
- The UCL Academy, Camden
- Trafalgar Infant School, Richmond
To find out more about the day visit our News page and Flickr photo gallery.
Rosie Boycott (Mayor of London Food Advisor) and Thomasina Miers (former Masterchef winner) at Phoenix High School Farm for Grow Your Own Picnic 2014. Photo: Eleonore De Bonneval/Garden Organic
Past Picnic Events – 2014
Grow Your Own Picnic last took place in Summer 2014, to coincide with the launch of Food Growing Schools: London. Read the summary below or download the full story (PDF).
Grow Your Own Picnic 2014 and the launch of Food Growing Schools: London
Sun, salad and school growing success! Food Growing Schools: London launched with a flurry of tasty picnic events at schools across London, on Friday 20th June 2014, taking place on the first Grow Your Own Picnic day.The official Food Growing Schools: London launch event, at the inspiring Phoenix High School Farm and Learning Zone, was buzzing with enthusiasm from local authorities, educational institutions, and public health leaders from across London boroughs. Tucking into a tasty picnic lunch cooked by Ben Tish, Founder and Head Chef of Saltyard Restaurant Group, they listened to an impressive line-up of talks from the Mayor of London’s Food Advisor, Rosie Boycott, Master Chef winner Thomasina Miers, Bill Scott, Professor of Education at the University of Bath and lead partner Garden Organic. Rosie Boycott said; ‘The Mayor and I want to see every school in London growing food. We’ve made huge progress with many pupils in the capital now reaping the rewards of outdoor learning. This new initiative will help us go further, reaching more schools and helping existing growers expand.’
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It’s that time of year again. Every Spring FGSL project partners Soil Association Food for Life (FFL) encourage schools around the UK to get growing – with the support of grandparents! Grandparent Gardening Week takes place from 27-31 March 2017.