Local children join MP for fact-finding farm visit
Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole, is supporting the first ever Co-operatives fortnight (19 June to 3 July), by joining children from Bowmandale Primary School, Bowmandale school in Barton-on-Humber, on a visit to a farm in Goole owned by The Co-operative Farms.
The Co-operative Farms is Britain’s biggest farmer. It is committed to farming in a sustainable and responsible way and is a great example of a successful and growing business that is run using the co-operative model.
The Co-operative Farms has been farming at Swine fleet, near Goole, since 1917. The farm Andrew Percy will visit grows and produces potatoes, wheat, honey, beetroot, barley, rapeseed and sugar beet. It is also one of The Co-operative Farms that runs the From Farm to Fork project, Which gives children the chance to visit Co-operative Farms and learn more about food, farming, healthy living and cooking.
Andrew Percy said he is looking forward to finding out what projects like these help teach children: “It is important for children to know where the food they eat comes from. Projects like From Farm to Fork are the perfect way to educate children about food, farming and the countryside in a way that they can relate to. For children who live in cities this kind of experience is invaluable and a lot of fun for them to take part in”
Michelle Padwick, The Co-operative Farms’ From Farm to Fork Co-ordinator, says that for many children this is their first experience of the countryside: “From Farm to Fork is all about inspiring children to get passionate about food and farming by giving them a greater understanding and respect for the outdoors. For some of them it is a real learning curve but From Farm to Fork gives them an understanding of the important role farming plays in supplying us with fresh, healthy food.”
Sponsored by The Co-operative Group and organised by Co-operatives UK, Co-operatives Fortnight, which runs from 19 June until 3 July, is a brand new national campaign to promote the co-operative model. It aims to raise awareness of the value of the co-operative economy to business, society and the individual. For opportunities to get involved and show your support, visit: www.thereisanalternative.coop
About Andrew Percy
Andrew Percy is the Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole. He was voted into parliament at the general election on 6 May 2010.About The Co-operative
The Co-operative Group stands apart from other major retailers in the UK as a business, which is owned, not by a small group of shareholders, but by more than five million consumers. With core interests in food, financial services, travel, pharmacy, funerals and farms, it has an annual turnover of 14 billion, employs 123,000 staff and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets handling more than 20 million weekly transactions.
Following the acquisition of the Somerfield supermarket chain in March 2009, The Co-operative Food is the fifth largest food retailer. The Co-operative Financial Services is one of the largest and most diversified financial mutual businesses, operating The Co-operative Bank, The Co-operative Insurance and Britannia.
The Co-operative is the UK’s number one provider of funeral services, the third largest retail pharmacy chain, a leading travel retailer, supplying the travel needs of more than three million people annually, and is the UK’s largest farmer. Among its other businesses are The Co-operative Motor Group, The Co-operative Electrical and The Co-operative Legal Services.