PARWICH.ORG

They say that good things come in threes. Following last week’s Big Lottery Fund grant of £500,000 towards the redevelopment of Parwich Memorial Hall, and Tom Chambers’ spectacular success in Strictly Come Dancing, some of us were left wondering what our third stroke of good fortune would be.

And now we know! We’re grateful to our friends at the Ashbourne News Telegraph for passing on the excellent news that Parwich Primary School has been awarded a grant of nearly £8000, as part of Derbyshire County Council’s “Growing Better Together” funding initiative. This award is amongst the highest given to any of the schools on the list.

The funding is designed to encourage Derbyshire youngsters to:

• Plan, plant, grow and eat healthy food
• Share experience and knowledge by working alongside older people, parents, voluntary groups and horticulture/conservation organisations in their communities.

To read the full text of Derbyshire County Council’s press release:
SCHOOLS CAN BLOSSOM WITH GROWING PROJECT

Youngsters are being encouraged to grow and eat healthy food and work alongside older people as part of a £510,000 Derbyshire County Council scheme.

Schools and children’s centres across Derbyshire will benefit from the authority’s Growing Better Together funding initiative. Bids were invited from schools and centres for grants up to a maximum of £10,000.

Cash will boost outdoor learning activities during the school day or in children’s leisure time which help young people:
• Plan, plant, grow and eat healthy food
• Share experience and knowledge by working alongside older people, parents, voluntary groups and horticulture/conservation organisations in their communities.

The project will end July 2009 but outdoor learning projects and activities set up in the schools and centres are hoped to be continued for the benefit of youngsters and their communities.

Councillor Anne Western, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said: “It’s important to us that young people have the best start in life and get every opportunity to be healthy and happy.

“This is a fabulous and innovative way of getting youngsters working and learning outdoors alongside older members of their community to grow and find out more about healthy food.

“By helping them develop their own plots of land to grow vegetables and fruit we hope it will spark children’s interest in eating healthily and learning new skills.”