More than 500 Kent school children have been helped to learn where the food on their plates comes from, thanks to a grant from a medieval charity.
The youngsters came from eight schools which had each been awarded a £300 travel grant by the Rochester Bridge Trust to visit the Living Land event.
Aged seven to nine and in Years 3 and 4 at primary school, the children benefited from travel grants provided to support participation in activities of high educational value in the fields of agriculture or engineering.
The schools were: Barton Road Junior, Dover; English Martyrs Primary, Strood; Luton Primary, Chatham; Petham Primary, Canterbury; Rodmersham Primary, Sittingbourne; Shears Green Junior School, Northfleet; Shorne Primary, Gravesend; and St Margaret’s Primary, Rochester.
Caroline Chisholm, Education Manager at the Rochester Bridge Trust, explained: “It’s really important for children to take an interest in agriculture, and events such as Living Land are perfect for planting the seed that will grow into such enthusiasm.
“It’s interacting with agriculture that helps to bring the topic to life – as we saw for ourselves when they visited our stand. It was lovely to meet the children and share our knowledge with them.”
While better known for its ownership and free provision of Rochester Bridge, the Trust’s work is funded by an historic estate that was established more than 600 years ago. This means the history of Rochester Bridge has long been linked with the provision of food for the county.
Living Land is a free event organised by Kent County Agricultural Society, offering children the opportunity to explore the agricultural industry, the origin of their food and rural traditions within the county. It takes place at the Kent Showground and is visited by 2,000 primary school children every year.
The transport was paid for as part of the Trust’s education small grants scheme, which is available to support agricultural and engineering education across Kent and Medway. Visit www.rochesterbridgetrust.org.uk/learning-activities/grants for more information, or see www.kcas.org.uk/living-land to learn about Living Land.