School children present their home grown veg at Dorchester Market
One group sold out so quickly they had to go back to school early
Last updated 24th Sep 2021
School pupils have been testing their skills as salespeople this week as they head to Dorchester Market to sell some of their own produce.
Pupils from The Prince of Wales First School, Radipole Primary School, St Osmund’s CE Middle School, Manor Park First School & Damers First School rubbed shoulders with seasoned traders selling produce such as courgette flowers, lettuce, shallots and rainbow chard.
Nursery children employed a very cunning tactic at the market by refusing to set a price for any of their produce. There were reports on the day of one person giving in to their sweet smiles and coughing up £5 for one apple.
The sale is the culmination of several months of hard work by the students in their school gardens. Young Marketeers is a project run by school food campaigners, School Food Matters, and supported by Local Food Links.
Leeann O’Brien, Business Manager for Local Food Links said, “This is an extraordinary pilot project after a difficult year for the children. The pupils have enjoyed getting outside and they love to watch the plants grow. Local Food Links are so proud to be supporting the schools with this”.
Children at the schools planted their vegetable seeds in the spring and have been nurturing them until now. They were trained in food growing and market trading. Every pound raised on Market Day goes back into the school gardening clubs.
Children may often be unaware of where their food comes from or how it is produced.
The Young Marketeers Programme gives them a chance to grow their own food and see how much it is valued in their community by selling it at their local market. They also develop fantastic enterprise skills and learn how they can tackle entrenched local problems such as food waste and food poverty.