Primary school children across Bedford will soon be setting up stalls alongside seasoned market traders this week, to sell their fresh, school-grown fruit and vegetables as part of a nationwide initiative.
The children from Kings Oak, Cauldwell, The Priory and those enrolled with the PLACE programme, will be selling potatoes, kale, beetroot, courgettes, cherries, blackcurrants, herbs, and more.
It’s all part of the Young Marketeers programme, run by charity School Food Matters which aims to give children the opportunity to grow food from seed, with the help of expert gardeners, and then sell their wares locally.
They’ll be at Bedford Market, St. Paul’s Square on Wednesday from midday until 2pm.
The children have also been learning to cook a range of simple, budget-friendly dishes thanks to a partnership with Food Etc., a Bedford organisation that teaches essential cooking skills within the community.
In a 2023 survey of children taking part in Young Marketeers, 73% said the programme taught them a new gardening skill, while 66% said they learned something new about where food comes from.
84% of children also said they want to continue gardening and growing fruit or veg in the future.
Bedford Food Bank
All the money raised at the sale will be donated to Bedford Food Bank, which provides emergency food to vulnerable people in the area.
Dela Foster, Development Manager at School Food Matters, said: “For more than a decade, the Young Marketeers programme has been teaching children about where their food comes from and helping build vital life-long skills.
“Through taking part in planting, growing, and harvesting, students can reconnect with nature and see food as more than something they can buy at the supermarket.
“Young Marketeers allows children to interact with the food they eat in a meaningful way, and it’s these experiences and memories that stick with them throughout their time at school.”
This is the fifth year the charity has delivered Young Marketeers outside of London, where the programme began in 2012.
If you are a local organisation or business interested in promoting food education and sustainability, you can register your interest in taking part in next year’s Bedford event at the Young Marketers website.
