Apprentices learning about Guildhall
Pupils at St Christopher’s School learn of the need for healthy eating through the Company supported Food Dudes scheme
The National Fruit Show – the Bramley Campaign wins Best Themed Trade Stand.
The Awards Council: Education
Responsibility for the Company’s support of the fruit industry is vested in the Fruiterers Awards Council. The Council grants awards for excellence and supports education and research into fruit culture and marketing. It administers the major triennial awards – the Lewis Award for marketing, the Ridley Medal for distinguished services to fruit growing and the Matthew Mack Award for distinguished training achievements within the fruit industry.
In addition, the Council acts as a catalyst for a variety of educational programmes in support of fruit growing in its widest sense. These include, for instance, support of the Concordia Agricultural Bursary Scheme, Cider Training Courses and group visits for growers to European fruit production sites.
The Company also presents annual prizes to students at:
Hadlow
www.hadlow.ac.uk
Harper- Adams University College
www.harper-adams.ac.uk
Pershore Agricultural College
www.warkscol.ac.uk
Writtle Agricultural College
www.writtle.ac.uk
RHS Wisley
www.rhs.org.uk
The Food Dudes
This is a major project for the Company and the main thrust in our target “to contribute significantly to the diet and health of coming generations.”
Some 15 years ago the Psychology Department of Bangor University developed a programme aimed at weaning children off junk food and creating for them a healthy diet. The sample group of children quickly adapted to these foods and today remain committed to that diet which, in turn, has influenced a change in the eating habits of their parents.
The Irish Government has introduced the scheme throughout all primary schools in the Republic and from January 2009, the Fruiterers’ Company are sponsoring, at £25k per annum for three years, a national co-ordinator to roll out the programme throughout England. This started very successfully in the Midlands and Bedfordshire have now also begun to introduce it in their Primary schools.
Following positive feedback from children, teaching staff and parents the Department of Health have committed some £200k to assess the value of the programme.
Our “seed corn” funding is, we believe, an important step towards making a significant contribution towards the diet and healthy well being of future generations.
Bramley Apple Teaching Pack
To celebrate the bi-centenary of the Bramley apple in 2009 the Company developed a programme of planting Bramley trees in the grounds of many inner London schools, City Farms, Community Association and Housing projects.
To accompany these plantings they developed a teaching pack so that children and disadvantaged people receiving the trees could learn about the trees and how to use the harvest they produce.