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THE
CAFE PROJECT - Home Page
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CAFE Project Stand at the Royal Welsh
Show
This July the Project was lucky enough to be invited
by Powys County Council to put on a staffed display
with activities for children outside the WLGA (Welsh
Local Government Association) Pavilion at the heart
of the showground. For one day only – Thursday
the final day of the Show – we were there to
meet parents, teachers and farmers interested in educating
children about farming. Enquiries were received from
Powys and elsewhere in Wales and will be followed up
this summer/autumn.
Queries varied from ‘What is happening in my
area?’ to ‘How do I go about opening my
farm for school visits?’ and ‘Tell me more
about the new School Farmers’ Market – how
do they work exactly?’
If you would like to have a chat about any of our
work or your own ideas please do get in touch!
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Growing Vegetables at School?
Many schools are approaching us for sources of advice,
information and funding for school gardening – growing
food rather than flowers to link in with the National
Curriculum and practical skills acquisition.
For a comprehensive free information pack contact
Garden Organic.
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Autumn Farm Visits – Biodiversity on the Farm
In consultation with our funders the Countryside Council
for Wales and the ESD & GC Forum in Powys we are
here to facilitate School Farm visits this autumn with
a particular emphasis on biodiversity and skills acquisition
for children of all ages.
Pupils are often best able to grasp these concepts
and get to grips with complex issues through direct
personal experience. A school trip – well planned
between the teacher and host farmer – offers
a memorable setting to see, touch and understand the
reality of biodiversity. Children can see for themselves
what is there now, hear from the farmer how things
may have changed in recent decades and learn what steps
the farmer is taking to promote biodiversity in the
local farm setting. Many of the volunteer farmers working
with the CAFE Project are in the Tir Gofal Agri-Environment
Scheme and some are organic and/or involved in developing
good practice.
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Pupils from Llanfihangel Rhydithon County Primary School
explore the woods with farmer Alex Higgs in June 08
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Basic Food Hygiene – a skill for all
The CAFE Project has been pleased to offer schools e-learning for the
Certificate of Basic Food Hygiene. To date twelve schools have taken
up the opportunity with teachers, assistants, farmers, parents and
pupils – some as young as 10 years old – winning their
certificates using an e-learning package that can be accessed via computer
at school or at home. This essential skill raises awareness about food
safety and the practical steps and habits needed to recognise and minimise
potential risks to health. The CAFE Project is pleased to be working
with Creative Learning Solutions who developed this resource. Places
are still available free of charge – for more information contact
Caroline Davies Project Coordinator. For a trial of the software click
here:
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Pupils at Bettws Lifehouse receive their Basic Food
Hygiene Certificates
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Grow Your Own Potatoes
2007 - And Sign up for 2008!
Fifty Powys schools enrolled in the annual Grow Your Own
Potatoes Initiative run by the British Potato Council. A
jiffy bag containing three seed potatoes and a £5 voucher
for compost and a bucket were received by schools in February.
Many schools entered the competition to find the highest
yield although this meant lifting them early in June. This was one schools experience: “We planted our 3 seed potatoes
on March 1st after leaving them to sprout (or chit) for
about three weeks.
When we planted them we covered them with compost and watered
them when it wasn’t raining! We harvested them on June 21st in line with the competition
but this seemed to be a bit soon as the potatoes were still
quite small. In total we had 83 potatoes which weighed 1150g
or 1.15kg. The children were really amazed with
how many potatoes were produced. We have since made a lovely
display showing the
process!” Gurnos CP School
Years 3 and 4 This year you can enrol for the Initiative on line by going
to: Register before the end December to be entered into a prize
draw! Please put FACE in as a reference so that the Project is
recognised
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New
CAFE Project Officers for Radnorshire and Brecknock
L to R: Jane Evans (Radnorshire), Wayne Sargeant (Brecknock)
and Caroline Davies (Montgomeryshire)
CAFE Project Officers for Radnorshire and Brecknock have
now been recruited to promote and facilitate school farm
visits and develop the CAFE Project throughout Powys.
Wayne Sargeant is based in Brecon and Jane Evans at County
Hall Llandrindod Wells. Both are part time and can be contacted
initially via e-mail Project Officers will be working with schools to facilitate
school farm visits including issues such as risk assessment
and national curriculum links and resources available. They
will also be assisting schools to hold School Farmers’ Markets
and develop practical cookery and Basic Food Hygiene via
e-learning. An autumn newsletter is planned and the CAFE
webpages will be developed to reflect activity in Brecknock
and Radnorshire as the county gears up for Welsh Food Fortnight
and the Year of Food and Farming (Sept07 to July 08).
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Welsh
Food Fortnight!
22 September to 7 October 2007
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 All
schools in Wales will be receiving the first bi-lingual Welsh
Food Fortnight
Booklet in early September (instead of the British Food Fortnight ‘Putting
the Ooh Back into Food’). Featuring Welsh case studies
and information and also the opportunity to enter the annual
competition. Please let the CAFE Project know about your planned
activities!
What are the opportunities that Welsh Food Fortnight can bring
to your classroom?
- To teach young people about the diverse and delicious
range of food available and about the health benefits
and pleasures of eating quality, fresh, seasonal and regionally-distinct
produce.
- To give young people the opportunity to learn
basic
practical cookery skills and excite them to develop
these further at home.
- To increase the amount of food education
in schools by encouraging teachers to hold special
events
for young people during the fortnight in the hope
that this will generate their enthusiasm and interest.
Download more details here:
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Farmer Training
for Educational Visits – CEVAS Course
The Project is hosting a three-day training course for farmers
hosting school visits this autumn. This scheme, which leads
to accreditation by the Open College Network (OCN) has been
operating in England for some years and more than 600 farmers
have completed it.
In March FACE (Farm and Countryside Education) Wales, in association
with the CAFE Project and with a grant from the National Assembly
for Wales piloted the first ever CEVAS Training in Newtown.
Six farmers completed the course and submitted portfolios.Five
staff from CAFE and FACE Cymru completed the course in order
to train as trainers to deliver future courses in Wales.
With the assistance of the YMCA College FACE Cymru and the
CAFE Project will be offering a course in Newtown on 24th,
25th Sept and 1st October.
For details click here.
Download
a booking form.
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Year of Food and
Farming – visit
a farm this term!
The Year of Food and Farming
Starts this September 2007 until July 2008
A campaign to promote healthy living by giving young people
direct experience of countryside, farming and food. This
is the year to try a school farm visit as an ‘outdoor classroom’ to
deliver memorable learning experiences for your national curriculum
topics this year.
Register your
school to receive updates and go on the ‘megamap’
Contact the CAFE Project officer in your area who will be
able to help with arranging a farm visit and possibly assist
with the cost of the coach. |
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Some of the participants
at the first CEVAS Farmer Training Course in Wales, Coleg
Powys Newtown. |
| The Project is hosting a three-day training course for
farmers hosting school visits. This scheme, which leads
to accreditation by the Open College Network (OCN) has
been operating in England for some years and more than
600 farmers have completed it.
FACE (Farm and Countryside Education) Wales, in association
with the CAFE Project, is piloting the first ever CEVAS
Training for those offering educational visits in the
countryside.
The three day course will be completed in March with
the submission of portfolios by each participant for
moderation by the Open College Network.
The course covers :
Day 1 Preparing
for Farm Visits
- Checklist for
a visit
- Risk Assessment
- Farm Profile
- Evaluation
Day 2 Food, Farming and the Countryside in the National
Curriculum
- Learning Opportunities in the NC
- Key Stage subject areas – QCA units
- Preparing a Plan of Work for a visit
- Assignments
Day 3 Talking to Pupils, Students and Teachers
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Delivering a prepared talk
- Managing a discussion
- Preparing your portfolio for moderation
Future course will be run in Powys and elsewhere in
Wales so please contact the CAFE Project for Powys, or
Jane Powell of FACE Wales if outside Powys.
Email: jnp@aber.ac.uk
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University Researcher visits CAFE Project |
In mid October the CAFE Project played host to Laura
Davis from Warwick University who paid a two day visit
to see for herself what the project is achieving. Laura
is involved in the Mid Term Review of the Food & Wellbeing
Strategy for Wales. The 'Food
and Well Being' Strategy, launched
in February 2003, gave a focus to improving the diet
and nutritional status of the population in Wales.
This has been further supported by the launch of Health
Challenge Wales and other strategies that seek to reach
specific groups within the population, such as the elderly,
children and young people.
During her visit Laura visited Dolfor CP School near
Newtown to see the children making Fruit Skewers and
Fruit Smoothies. She stayed for lunch and spoke to
the school cook, teachers and children about their
experiences.
On day two she joined infants from Aberhafesp
CP School at Offa Farm. In lovely mild autumn weather
the children discovered vegetables growing in the fields
and even had their morning milk around a ‘table’ in
the barn sitting on straw bales.
The ways in which the CAFE Project is working to reconnect
children may be illustrated in the Mid Term Review
as a unique case study. ‘I really appreciated
talking to Laura about her experience and how we can
effectively evaluate a project of this nature’ said
Caroline afterwards. |
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A BUMPER BRITISH FOOD FORTNIGHT
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The fifth British Food Fortnight which took place from
23rd September to 8th October 2006 was the biggest
national celebration EVER of the diverse and delicious
range of food that Britain produces. The event
was sponsored by Aramark, Budgens, Londis and Nationwide
and featured the Pyrex Cooking Challenge for schools.
The theme of this year’s event ‘Are you
Cooking it?’ was embraced by retailers, caterers
and schools all of whom organised a myriad of events
and promotions across the country. Highlights include:
- More promotions in shops
than ever before… 2,200
Budgens and Londis stores, 300 delicatessens,
independents, farm shops and farmers markets
offered a mass of
promotions and tastings tempting the public
to use British seasonal ingredients when cooking
at
home. Early reports suggest that footfall in
participating shops was up at least 25% during
the Fortnight
and sales of products offered for tastings
increased a staggering 50%. And for the first
time, three
of the biggest supermarket chains all ran British
promotions during the event.
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- Competitive spirit encourages
children to cook…a
myriad of cooking competitions were held during
the Fortnight. Budgens and Londis stores teamed
up with local schools for a competition to design
a ‘Chef’s Hat’ featuring local
produce; ARAMARK organised a ‘Create a
Bramley Apple Recipe’ to inspire school
children to get cooking. And all schools were
invited to enter the Pyrex Cooking Challenge
to find the school that incorporates cookery
within the curriculum in the most innovative
and imaginative way. The winner will be announced
mid-November.
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- Catering sector takes centre
stage for the first time… Five of the largest food service
groups, led by ARAMARK, three major pub groups
and all
the chef associations put British food on thousands
of menus in pubs, restaurants, hospitals and
staff canteens. Even one of the most famous Indian
restaurants
in London got in on the act using all British
ingredients in its dishes.
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- Audience reach…this year’s British
Food Fortnight reached an unprecedented number
of the public. Thousands of events were held
across the country with food festivals in the
East Midlands, West Sussex, Lincolnshire, Malvern,
Yorkshire, Bath, Devon, Cornwall and Bath; welly
walks; cookery demonstrations; foraging forays
and special harvest festival celebrations.
- And
in media, Terry Wogan, Jonathon Ross, the World
Tonight, the Archers, GMTV, Saturday Kitchen
and Saturday Cooks and every national newspaper
all extolled the event resulting in preliminary
figures suggesting a staggering audience reach
of 250 million.
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- ·· Beating Jamie Oliver to it…Jamie
Oliver and the Government are starting to call
for schools to offer cookery lessons but British
Food Fortnight is already leading the way.
26,000 schools were provided with the first ever
guide
to including cookery within the curriculum
in the build-up to the event. As a result thousands
of
children were given cooking lessons during
the Fortnight. In an innovative move, organisations
representing over 3,000 chefs teamed up with
schools
to offer their services in the classroom and
to help teachers organise practical cookery activities.
The aim is to emulate the French who regularly
send chefs into schools to teach children about
their national cuisine.
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Alexia Robinson, organiser of
British Food Fortnight comments: “Every
year British Food Fortnight gets bigger and more
successful.
It gives retailers and caterers a commercial incentive
to stock British food thereby making it more accessible
to the public and it inspires schools to include
it within their curriculum teaching.
“ Organisations representing 43,820
shops, 11,560 pubs, 43,300 restaurants, 5,800
chefs; tourism outlets receiving 16 million
visitors and groups representing ¼ million
volunteers now participate in the event each
year. It is the only event bringing all these
groups together. With this show of support
British Food Fortnight is well placed to change
the eating habits of the nation!”
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British Food Fortnight 2007 takes place 22nd
September to 7th October 2007.
For further information see www.britishfoodfortnight.co.uk |
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New Three-Year CAFE Project launched by Deputy
Minister at the Royal Welsh Show
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The blazing sunshine of the Tuesday
of the Royal Welsh Show at the Montgomeryshire (featured
county) Pavillion by the main ring was an ideal setting
for the event. A large gathering of teachers, councillors,
farmers and representatives of partner organisations
(including FACE, HSE, CCW, Church in Wales and Mid
Wales Tourism) gathered for the launch ceremony.
Following the completion of a twelve month pilot project
in 2005 the CAFE Project has won funding from the Countryside
Council for Wales and the continuing support of Powys
County Council Education Department to extend over
three years to offer its facilitation and resources
to schools throughout Powys from April 2007.
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Deputy Minister Tamsin Dunwoody AM recognised
the unique approach being developed in Powys and stressed
the importance of ‘reconnecting’ children
to food and farming for their education, as consumers
and as members of the community in the longer term.
Chairman of the Mid Wales Food & Land Trust, Antony
Lewis, introducing the event appreciated the partnership
with the CCW and Powys County Council and the hard
work of the Project Board (made up of teachers and
farmers) which met regularly to guide the Project.
The gathering was then treated to delicious food prepared
by Project Board member and Trustee of the Mid Wales
Food & Land Trust, Lavinia Vaughan.
The CAFE Project display boards and some resources
were on show in the Montgomeryshire Pavillion all week
as the Project has, to date, been confined to Montgomeryshire
Schools. (Next spring the project will be looking for
more staff to service schools in the South and West
of the county).
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| The new CAFE Project cow was a great success
as hundreds of children (and a few adults!) stopped to
milk her. Some seemed to get the knack straight away
but others had to persevere to find the right touch.
Several grandparents recalled the days of hand milking
and the expertise that has been lost. |
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Oldford Communities First
Vegetable Initiative
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 On
Sunday 30th July the Trust, in association with the CAFE
Project, set up stall at the Oldford Estate in Welshpool
for a Funday devised by the residents and in particular
the youth forum. On offer was the chance to pot up seedlings
and sow the seeds of your choice to grow veg, salad and/or
herbs at home on patio or windowsill. Dr Michele Becker
of the Mid Wales Food and Land Trust supplies both a
wide selection of salad ‘leaves’ as seedlings
and assisted the children, and a few adults, to plant
them up.
Altogether over 50 people planted up more than 100
pots of all sizes. Some chose to plant a bucket of
potatoes, cauliflowers were particularly popular with
the boys but most in demand were mixed pots of salad
leaves which can be picked as required and keep on
growing! It was mainly the more mature residents who
chose to plant some herbs for the windowsill.
Hannah Guntrip, Communities First Project Officer
and Yvonne Jones, head of Oldford Infants School were
full of praise for the initiative. The CAFE Project
cow also made a welcome appearance fresh from the Royal
Welsh Show although this time the regular showers of
rain somewhat cramped her style!
Caroline Davies manned the stand all day and enjoyed
the lively interest of the children who were eager
to learn about growing things. “I hope that their
parents find room for all the pots” she commented
afterwards.
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Food Standards Agency Wales
Announces ‘AFAL’ Award Winner For CAFE
PROJECT
(Awards for Food Action Locally)
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| The CAFE (Children, Agriculture,
Food and Education) Project has been recognised by Food
Standards Agency Wales as part of its 2006 AFAL Award
Scheme. The Award, launched in November 2003, is a scheme
to recognise individual or team contributions to local
nutrition initiatives that have made a positive impact
on the diet or eating habits in the communities they
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Caroline with one of the new display
boards |
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Award of £1000 and a celebratory fruit bowl was
presented to Caroline Davies, Project Co-ordinator
by Dr Peter Stevenson, Local Public Health Director
for Wrexham, at the Agency’s Nutrition Conference
in Wrexham in May. Caroline made a presentation on
the Project to a large audience drawn mainly from the
health sector in Wales in which she stressed the importance
of ‘reconnecting’ people to food production
and teaching youngsters cooking skills.
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Farm Visits – First Networking
Event!
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| Over 30 people attended the first of these
events on 10th May near Newtown. Teachers and farmers
offering school visits met after school at Dyffryn Farm
Aberhafesp near Newtown. Hosted by Dave and Sue Jones
whose organic farm is in the Tir Gofal agri-enviroment
scheme ‘Educational Access’ programme the
visitors enjoyed a farm walk with children from nearby
Aberhafesp School demonstrating pond dipping. Advisory
teacher Jan Rees was enthusiastic about the scope for
learning experiences provided by a family farm – regular
visits to enable learning through familiarity would,
she said, offer unrivalled opportunities for topics such
as living things, the seasons and, of course, food. |
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Farm visits were requested and teachers took away
resources for schools, many of them bi-lingual. Follow
up requested included assistance with identifying local
farms, carrying out risk assessments and visiting Welshpool
Farmers’ Market to meet producers.
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Jane Powell representing FACE (Farming and Countryside
Education) in Wales, which is supporting these events,
was impressed. The CAFE Project plans to hold more
events in different parts of the county in the months
ahead.
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Working Portfolio for Farm Visits
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All schools in Montgomeryshire will shortly be receiving
a ring binder in the LEA mailing full of useful information
to help them to get their children out onto farms. Contents
include national curriculum, risk assessment, practical
issues such as transport as well as contacts and information
on local farms where the farming family voluntarily offer
visits. This should be an invaluable resource to either
get started or develop the potential of farm visits. |
Basic Food Hygiene Training
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The Project has available a CD-ROM by Creative Learning
Solutions and places for training for the initial certificate
in Basic Food Hygiene. This is suitable for everyone
from 10 years old and is essential for anyone involved
in the preparation and handling of food. The course can
be completed and the certificate obtained using your
own computer. Please contact the project if you are interested. |
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SCHOOL FARMERS’ MARKETS
DATES 2008
Download
a pdf file of the school farmers' markets dates
here.
All markets are set up from 2.30pm, open from 3pm
and usually end around 5.30pm. Schools charge £5
per table and the PTA sell refreshments. If you have
any queries please contact Caroline Davies on 01938
810302
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View
our video clip here, but
note that this is a large file (11mb) and will take sometime
to download, depending on your connection speed. We recommend
highspeed broadband for best results. We also suggest you
download it completely before playing.
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The CAFE (Children, Agriculture, Food and Education) Project
aims to:
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- develop a pilot programme of school/farm
visits in Montgomeryshire
- support and motivate teachers and lecturers
to visit farms
- work in partnership with the Powys Education
Authority, the food, farming and tourism sectors
- create and monitor a farm visit resource
bank.
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The CAFE
Project Co-ordinator is CAROLINE DAVIES
Caroline Davies is the CAFE Project
co-ordinator (part-time) working in Montgomeryshire.
Caroline farms in Mid Wales and has a background in
ADAS/FRCA rural economy work in North Wales where she
specialised in food and tourism. She has two children
Huw, 11 and Elizabeth 8 and has been a primary school
governor.
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