A popular countryside initiative which inspires thousands of eastern counties schoolchildren with vital messages from the world of food and farming has been given a big boost by Central England Co-operative.
Kids Country, the education arm of the East of England Agricultural Society has announced an exciting, year-long sponsorship package with the Society.
Central England Co-operative sponsorship will provide both financial support and local resource to support the 18 events that Kids Country will be holding during 2017.
The Kids Country programme consists of interactive, hands-on events about food, farming and the countryside.
Activities include potato planting and harvesting, learning about chickens, bee observatory visits and the annual Food & Farming Day at the East of England Showground. In 2016, the programme reached over 6,000 children from across the Eastern region and beyond.
'Giving back to the community'
Speaking about the support from Central England Co-operative, Karen Ball, Member and Community Relations Officer said: “The Co-operative has a long tradition of giving back to the community, and we welcome the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives and education of local children.
“We look forward to building on our successful partnership with Kids Country, and bring a greater understanding of food provenance and the countryside to children through these wonderful events.”
The Kids Country team is headed up by Sandra Lauridsen, who commented on the sponsorship deal: “We are delighted to be working together with Central England Co-operative, whose values of making a difference mirror our own so closely. We are passionate about children’s rural education, and to have this recognised and supported so positively by Karen and her team is a real boost. Their support will help us to deliver an even more exciting and engaging programme in 2017.”
The sponsorship will commence on 1 January, just in time for Breakfast Week, which will see the Kids Country team and Central England Co-operative volunteers visit three local schools to help them learn about where our breakfast comes from.
Any schools who are interested in participating in a Kids Country event should contact the Education Team at the East of England Agricultural Society on 01733 363514.
