Funding for roll-out of food project in Valleys schools
More Valleys schools will soon have access to an innovative project which has seen a converted shipping container converted to a place where pupils can learn about food and where low income families can stock up on free or reduced price provisions.
The Big Bocs Bwyd (BBB) project in the Valleys Taskforce area helps children develop an early understanding of healthy food choices while providing affordable priced food to families in the community who may be in need of support.
Welsh Government is providing £100,000 to establish a further five BBB shipping containers in schools across the valleys, working in partnership with the Valleys Regional Park.
The scheme originally started at Cadoxton and Oak Field primary schools in Barry, thanks to the hard work of Executive Headteacher Janet Hayward and teams of staff at both schools. The project operates from converted shipping containers based on the school grounds. Food is donated from local supermarkets and shops. Charities such as FareShare, which aims to reduce food poverty by re-distributing quality surplus food produced by the food industry, are also part of the scheme.
The schools that will now benefit from the BBB containers are Cyfarthfa Park Primary School in Merthyr; St Margaret’s RC primary in Aberdare; Maesteg-based schools Cwmfelin primary and Garth Primary School; and Ammanford schools Ammanford Nursery School, Ysgol Bro Banw, and Rhydaman primary.
Cadoxton and Oak Field Primary Executive Headteacher Janet Hayward, who will help oversee the roll-out of the programme, said: "It is a privilege to be able to share the success of this project with these other schools and the communities they serve in such a real way. The idea has evolved over time for us but is now a concept that can be easily transferred into new settings. As well as ‘recycling’ food from supermarkets that would otherwise be thrown away, the projects supports many aspects of the Health and Wellbeing curriculum."
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