Pictured above: Jayne Hanson (left), of Pertemps People
Development Group, is joined by members of the gardening project at
St Mary and St Margaret's School in Castle Bromwich
Generous workers decided to dig deep to help green-fingered
Birmingham school children grow their own vegetables.
Pupils of St Mary and St Margaret's School in Castle Bromwich
have begun reaping what they sow, and are enjoying a rich harvest
of fresh home-grown vegetables.
The school project, called the 'Food for Life Partnership', was
launched in a bid to raise the standards of health for pupils and
teachers by encouraging them to eat more greens. The initiative has
been given a grant of £300 by employees of employment experts
Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG).
The donation came from PPDG's payroll giving scheme Give As You
Earn (GAYE), part of its active community support programme.
Workers make a monthly contribution to support good causes. Over
£120,000 has already been pledged to charities, community
groups, schools and individuals since the programme began in
2004.
Jayne Hanson, employment coach at PPDG whose two children attend
the school, nominated the project for support.
She said: "The Food for Life Partnership aims to raise the
standards of health within the school by changing some of the
eating habits of pupils and teachers. Children have started to grow
their own vegetables to be used in the school kitchen, and they
have replaced the old 'flight style' dinner trays with plates and
bowls. They have also introduced a wristband system which helps
children in selecting healthy options. The school council, which is
made up of children from each class, has had a big input into
making the decisions."
The £300 donation will also be used to create raised
garden beds so the children can grow even more vegetables.
In 2007, PPDG was recognised by the Institute of Fundraising for
operating one of the best payroll giving schemes in the UK.
PPDG is one of the UK's market leaders in addressing
unemployment and social exclusion. It has helped more than 100,000
long-term unemployed people into sustained employment and
self-employment through a variety of Government-funded Welfare to
Work initiatives including Employment Zone, New Deal, and the
Family Engagement Support Project. It has also trained over 130,000
people in vocational skills, and more than 175,000 people have
benefitted from professional information, advice and guidance
services.