Cornwall’s premier rugby team the Cornish Pirates are throwing their weight behind the highly successful ‘Dig Down South West campaign’, aimed at encouraging the Duchy’s youngsters to grow their own.

Laurie McGlone, Ian Nimmo and Rob Elloway from the Pirates took a rare pre-season day off to help children at St Meriadoc Junior School in Camborne to harvest some of the vegetables they have been growing and help to tend their gardens. The players were also on-hand to give their own advice about the benefits of eating healthily and exercising.

St Meriadoc Junior School was among eighteen primary schools in Cornwall to receive their own vegetable garden from the ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign, supported by regional insurance firm Cornish Mutual, which is based in Truro. The initiative was launched earlier this year by well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

Ian Davies, Forwards Coach with the Cornish Pirates commented: “Teaching kids at an early age about healthy eating and a balanced diet, including fruit and vegetables, is really important. As professional rugby players, it’s great for them to be able to pass on their experience of staying fit and on top of their game through initiatives like ‘Dig Down South West’. I hope that through today’s visit to the school we can make a small difference to the children’s enthusiasm for growing their own produce.”

Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual, said: “It’s great to have the support of the Cornish Pirates for ‘Dig Down South West’. The team can act as excellent role models for the youngsters involved – inevitably children look up to sports stars and are often influenced by them. We hope that through campaigns like this we can help to build their knowledge for the future.”

50 vegetable gardens have been created in schools across the region, as a key part of ‘Dig Down South West’. The objective of the project is to help primary school children, between the ages of five and eight, take an active interest in gardening and learn about the benefits of growing their own produce.

The children at St Meriadoc Junior School planted their organic vegetables in the existing flowerbeds of their school courtyard, in many pots and containers, as well as in some newly created raised beds out on the school field.

Jason Richards, a teacher at St Meriadoc Junior School, added: “This initiative from Dig Down South West has really enabled our children to be enthused about growing their own fruit and vegetables. We are just starting to enjoy the spoils of our labour and we can’t wait to see how much further our produce will flourish before the end of the school year!”

Cornish Mutual is the only general insurer based in the South West and provides a broad range of insurance cover for rural communities in the region, www.cornishmutual.co.uk.

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The Cherries, based at Deans Court in Kings Park, are backing the initiative which has helped create 50 vegetable gardens in primary schools across the region. Five schools in Poole, Wimborne, Moordown and Kinson are all involved in the project, supported by regional insurance firm Cornish Mutual. Well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock launched ‘Dig Down South West’ in February.

AFC Bournemouth Captain, Steve Fletcher is writing to all five schools to show the club’s support and encouragement for the campaign. The team is also donating goody bags to the schools involved. They include Longspee Special School and Lytchett Matravers Primary School in Poole, Hayeswood First School in Wimborne and Kinson Primary and St Walburga’s Catholic Primary in Bournemouth.

Steve Fletcher commented: “It’s so important for children to understand that growing and eating fresh fruit and vegetables is the key to a healthier lifestyle – that’s something, as professional football players, we understand well and really support through this campaign. It’s great to get involved and give our backing to ‘Dig Down South West.”

50 vegetable gardens have been created in schools across the region, as a key part of ‘Dig Down South West’. The objective of the project is to help primary school children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in gardening and learn about the benefits of growing their own produce.

Alan Goddard, Managing Director for Cornish Mutual, added: “We’re absolutely delighted to have the support of AFC Bournemouth for ‘Dig Down South West’. The players are excellent role models for the children to learn from and find out how they can eat more healthily by getting involved in campaigns like this. We hope this will help to build their knowledge and nurture their enthusiasm for the future.”

Cornish Mutual is the only general insurer based in the South West and provides a broad range of insurance cover for rural communities in the region, www.cornishmutual.co.uk.

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Somerset-based Inspectors Nick Howe and Joff von Tyszka (pictured) volunteered and took time out of their busy schedules to roll up their sleeves and help children at Wookey Primary School to harvest some of the vegetables they have been growing and help them to tend their gardens.

Wookey Primary School was one of seven schools in Somerset to receive its own vegetable garden from the ‘Dig Down South West’ initiative, supported by Cornish Mutual. The project was launched earlier this year by well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

Nick Howe from Cornish Mutual commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to have given some of our time to help with the campaign which is aimed at encouraging youngsters across Somerset to grow their own. It was great to visit the school today, to get involved and to see what they’ve been doing.

“It’s so important for children to understand that growing and eating fresh fruit and vegetables is the key to a healthier lifestyle. Through ‘Dig Down South West’ we hope to help build their knowledge and nurture their enthusiasm for the future.”

50 vegetable gardens have been created in schools across the region, as a key part of ‘Dig Down South West’. The objective of the project is to help primary school children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in gardening and learn about the benefits of growing their own produce.

Clive Rockell, teacher at Wookey Primary School added: “Our school garden is looking great, like a showcase garden thanks to the help of ‘Dig Down South West’. We have already harvested salad, strawberries and carrots and this week we’ve been digging up our competition potatoes (The Potato Council). We’ve also made an archway of hazel for the sweet peas with the older children and willow dragonflies with the younger ones. We’re really grateful to the team at Cornish Mutual for all their help and support through this really great initiative.

“I’d also like to thank one of our parents in particular, Fenella Williams, for all her fantastic and hard work. She has been the fulcrum to the great work that’s been happening and we’re so grateful for her involvement and enthusiasm throughout.”

Cornish Mutual is the only general insurer based in the South West and provides a broad range of insurance cover for rural communities in the region, www.cornishmutual.co.uk.

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Dorset-based Inspectors Chellie Elkington and Andy Grossey (pictured) volunteered and took time out of their busy schedules to roll up their sleeves and help children at Hayeswood First School in Wimborne to harvest some of the vegetables they have been growing and help them to tend their gardens.

Hayeswood First School was one of seven schools in Dorset to receive its own vegetable garden from the ‘Dig Down South West’ initiative, supported by Cornish Mutual. The project www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk was launched earlier this year by well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

Chellie Elkington from Cornish Mutual commented: “It’s fantastic to be able to visit the school and see for ourselves just how busy the children and teachers have been creating their vegetable garden. ‘Dig Down South West’ has obviously captured their imaginations and enthusiasm for gardening and it’s really nice to see the youngsters outside enjoying themselves, as part of their education. Learning about how to live a healthy lifestyle and eat well is so important at this stage of their lives and hopefully our campaign helps them to do this.”

50 vegetable gardens have been created in schools across the region, as a key part of ‘Dig Down South West’. The objective of the project is to help primary school children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in gardening and learn about the benefits of growing their own produce.

John Bagwell, head teacher at Hayeswood First School added: “This has been an excellent opportunity for the children to learn through practical experiences. They have been very responsible caring for the plants and are becoming increasingly excited by the prospect of harvesting and tasting the end product.”

Cornish Mutual is the only general insurer based in the South West and provides a broad range of insurance cover for rural communities in the region, www.cornishmutual.co.uk.

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The Topsham School was one of eighteen primary schools in Devon to receive their own vegetable garden from the ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign, supported by regional insurance firm Cornish Mutual. The initiative was launched earlier this year by well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

Tom Johnson, back-row player with the Exeter Chiefs commented: “It’s so important for children to understand that growing and eating fresh fruit and vegetables is the key to a healthier lifestyle – that’s something, as professional rugby players, we understand well and really support through this campaign. It was great to visit the school today, to get involved in helping the children and to see what they’ve been doing.”

50 vegetable gardens have been created in schools across the region, as a key part of ‘Dig Down South West’. The objective of the project is to help primary school children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in gardening and learn about the benefits of growing their own produce.

Philip Wilson from Cornish Mutual, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have the support of the Exeter Chiefs for ‘Dig Down South West’. The players are excellent role models for the children to learn from and find out how they can eat more healthily by getting involved in campaigns like this. We hope to help build the children’s knowledge and nurture their enthusiasm for the future.”

The Topsham School has been developing its grounds over the past few years and has established growing within its teaching. It has also worked with the local organic farm ‘Highfield’.

Justin Vernon, teacher at The Topsham School, near Exeter said: “We are always looking for ways of developing our Sustainability Curriculum and Dig Down South West seemed like an ideal opportunity to do this. It is enabling the children to further their growing experiences and also think about sharing their crops in the local community and learn about the importance of being able to buy food locally. Their enthusiasm and enjoyment whenever they’re busy in the school garden or kitchen garden at Highfield Farm proves what an important element of the curriculum we offer this is.”

The vegetables grown in The Topsham School’s allotment are being given to the charity ‘Eastuary League of Friends’, providing services for the local elderly population. The produce donated will be used by a local pub, as part of a subsidised lunch they offer elderly residents during the week.

Justin adds: “This not only helps the children to learn about growing and different crops, but also develops their links with the residents of Topsham. Any produce we have left will be sold to parents, as part of our involvement in the ‘Shop Local’ campaign.”

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Schools across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset have taken delivery of their organic vegetable gardens, as part of the highly successful ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign.

Fifty primary schools in the four counties are now planting up their baby vegetables, courtesy of regional insurance firm Cornish Mutual, based in Truro and Exeter, which is supporting the campaign (www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk) launched earlier this year by well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

Each school successfully drawn from dozens of entries, has taken delivery of a Rocket Garden including vegetables such as lettuce, green beans, leeks, carrots, tomatoes, courgettes and potatoes.

Backed by rural insurer Cornish Mutual, ‘Dig Down South West’ is helping children across the region to learn about the source of their food, grow their own produce and understand the benefits of living a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle. The initiative will create 50 vegetable gardens in primary schools and encourage children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in gardening.

Katharine Edwards, parent governor at Devoran School, near Truro, Cornwall said: “The children had some great excitement as their garden arrived in school. We have a gardening club each week and individual class projects and the gardening club have been busy clearing our two large vegetable beds and a separate planter ready to plant these seedlings. We really are grateful for the opportunity to tend these plants and watch the vegetables grow.”

Andy Wookey from Wedmore First School in Somerset added: “The children took great delight in unpacking the vegetables and have already started to plant the contents of the box. We look forward to watching our new arrivals grow and hopefully harvest the fruits of our labours.”

Fiona Owen at St. Margaret’s School, Torquay, Devon commented: “WOW!!!!!! These are wonderful plants. The children and I had great fun un-packing them – they were enthralled. We are waiting for compost to be delivered but have had two lovely new planters built in our orchard all ready for the new arrivals. Let’s hope we manage to produce some wonderful veg!”

David Dorrell, Deputy Head teacher at Lytchett Matravers Primary School, near Poole, Dorset added: “As a school we’re really supportive of any initiative that helps to promote healthy eating and encourages children to have a better understanding of where their food comes from. We’re delighted to be a part of the ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign and have begun to develop our own school allotment for growing vegetables and fruit.”

Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic that we’re getting so much positive feedback from the schools involved in ‘Dig Down South West’. We’re delighted to be helping children across the region grow their own vegetables as part of this initiative. It’s encouraging to hear that the youngsters have been enthused by the delivery of their gardens and that they’re getting started on planting the vegetables at school.”

For more information about ‘Dig Down South West’, advice on growing produce and interactive puzzles and games for children, visit www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk

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The initiative is aimed at encouraging children to grow their own produce. Schools across the region (see full list) successfully registered on-line and were drawn from dozens of entries. Each primary school will receive a large selection of baby vegetable plants, courtesy of rural insurance firm Cornish Mutual.

Last month the ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign was launched by well-known TV personality and expert gardener Charlie Dimmock (pictured). It followed a survey, commissioned by Cornish Mutual that showed almost two thirds of school children across the region struggle to identify the origins of everyday food products they consume.

Over 1,100 youngsters from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, between the ages of six and eight, were questioned for the research to determine their level of awareness and knowledge of vegetables, dairy products and meat produce. Less than one in four knew that beef burgers are sourced from cows, with 29 per cent saying beef burgers came from pigs.

‘Dig Down South West’, supported by Cornish Mutual, is aimed at all primary schools across the region with an interest in growing their own vegetable garden. It will help to create 50 new vegetable gardens in schools to encourage children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in ‘growing their own’ produce. The aim of the campaign is to promote the value and benefits of children understanding the source of their food, nurturing their own produce and learning how to live a more sustainable life for the future.

Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual, commented: “So far the ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign has been a tremendous success and we were inundated with entries from schools across the region interested in growing their own produce. We’re delighted to be able to announce the successful schools and will work with them to follow their progress from delivery, right through to harvesting their vegetables. It’s so important for our children to understand where their food comes from and this is a fantastic way of supporting their learning.”

TV personality and gardening expert, Charlie Dimmock, said: “Many children have parents who aren’t gardeners themselves and we’re hoping to fill that knowledge gap. I believe that gardening is a life skill; and if every child knows how to grow plants and look after them, that would make a fabulous difference. A school garden enables children to learn in different ways and gives a practical element to learning and its fun.”

View a full list of the schools involved in Dig Down South West

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The initiative is aimed at encouraging primary school-age children to grow their own produce and closes for entries on 28 February. The campaign, supported by rural insurer Cornish Mutual, was launched earlier this month across the region with the help of well-known TV personality and expert gardener Charlie Dimmock.

It will help to create 50 new vegetable gardens in schools across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset to encourage children to promote the value and benefits of understanding the source of their food, nurturing their own produce and learning how to live a more sustainable life for the future. Successful schools will be announced in March.

Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual said: “We have been overwhelmed by the interest generated by this campaign and the number of schools that have come forward to register for a vegetable garden – it’s been hugely successful. We want to urge those schools across the South West that have not yet registered, to do so. Go online at digdownsouthwest.co.uk and register your interest – there are just a few vegetable gardens remaining now and we don’t want schools to miss out on this fantastic opportunity.”

TV personality and gardening expert, Charlie Dimmock said: “I believe that gardening is a life skill; and if every child knows how to grow plants and look after them, that would make a fabulous difference. A school garden enables children to learn in different ways and gives a practical element to learning and its fun.”

‘Dig Down South West’ was launched following worrying new research that suggested almost two thirds of school children across the South West struggle to identify the origins of everyday food products they consume.

Among the findings some youngsters thought that beef burgers came from McDonalds or Burger King, eggs from sheep, that yoghurts were made using turkeys or ducks, ham came from the Co-Op, bacon from horses, goats or peacocks and cheese originated from butterflies, rats or mice.

Less than one in four knew that beef burgers are sourced from cows, with 29 per cent saying beef burgers came from pigs. Over 1,100 youngsters from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, between the ages of six and eight, were questioned for the research* which was commissioned by Cornish Mutual.

The survey was used to determine their level of awareness and knowledge of vegetables, dairy products and meat produce and to determine if they are able to recognise how they are sourced.

Other bizarre responses from pupils that emerged from the survey include pupils believing rabbits, plastic or sheep were the main ingredient of crisps (two thirds correctly identified potatoes) and some thought ice cream was made with cheese, air, fish or potatoes (43 per cent correctly said milk or cream).

However, children’s overall level of recognition of vegetables was high, ranging from 98 per cent for carrots and sweetcorn to a low of 44 per cent for swede/turnip. Levels of animal recognition were even higher, with all pupils correctly identifying cows, 99 per cent for pigs, 98 per cent for chickens and 97 per cent for sheep.

Encouragingly, nearly 70 per cent of youngsters gave the correct answer of five portions of fruit or vegetables a day as part of a healthy diet. 77 per cent of pupils in the South West had visited a farm and just under two thirds in the South West had grown their own vegetables.

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Among the findings some youngsters thought that beef burgers came from McDonalds or Burger King, eggs from sheep, that yoghurts were made using turkeys or ducks, ham came from the Co-Op, bacon from horses, goats or peacocks and cheese originated from butterflies, rats or mice.

Less than one in four knew that beef burgers are sourced from cows, with 29 per cent saying beef burgers came from pigs. Over 1,100 youngsters from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, between the ages of six and eight, were questioned for the research* which was commissioned by rural insurance firm Cornish Mutual.

The survey was used to determine their level of awareness and knowledge of vegetables, dairy products and meat produce and to determine if they are able to recognise how they are sourced.

Other bizarre responses from pupils that emerged from the survey include pupils believing rabbits, plastic or sheep were the main ingredient of crisps (two thirds correctly identified potatoes) and some thought ice cream was made with cheese, air, fish or potatoes (43 per cent correctly said milk or cream).

However, children’s overall level of recognition of vegetables was high, ranging from 98 per cent for carrots and sweetcorn to a low of 44 per cent for swede/turnip. Levels of animal recognition were even higher, with all pupils correctly identifying cows, 99 per cent for pigs, 98 per cent for chickens and 97 per cent for sheep.

Encouragingly, nearly 70 per cent of youngsters gave the correct answer of five portions of fruit or vegetables a day as part of a healthy diet. 77 per cent of pupils in the South West had visited a farm and just under two thirds in the South West had grown their own vegetables.

As a result, today a new campaign called ‘Dig Down South West’, aimed at encouraging children to grow their own produce, is being launched at Highfield Farm in Topsham, near Exeter with well-known TV personality and gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

‘Dig Down South West’, supported by Cornish Mutual, is aimed at all primary schools across the region with an interest in growing their own vegetable garden. It will help to create 50 new vegetable gardens in schools across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset to encourage children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in ‘growing their own’ produce. The aim of the campaign is to promote the value and benefits of children understanding the source of their food, nurturing their own produce and learning how to live a more sustainable life for the future.

TV personality and gardening expert, Charlie Dimmock said: “I think that ‘Dig Down South West’ is a really fantastic way of getting children involved in growing their own vegetables. Youngsters love getting their hands dirty and I’m sure this will be really popular. It provides the opportunity for them to be creative and the children can see the progress of what they’re growing, and in the process of growing they learn a whole lot more.”

Alan Goddard is the Managing Director of Cornish Mutual, which has Members across the region. He commented: “Considering the South West is at the heart of the UK’s rural economy, we are surprised by the findings of this survey. Given that we are surrounded by farming and the countryside, we would have expected children in the region to know more about the origins of their food.”

He added: “It’s really important that we reach children at this young age. Clearly they do have an understanding, however, there are some huge gaps in their knowledge and we hope that through ‘Dig Down South West’ we can help to build on what they know and get them enthusiastic about local produce.”

Teacher Justin Vernon from Topsham School in Devon added: “Our children are thoroughly enjoying being involved in ‘Dig Down South West’ and have visited Highfield Farm many times before. Growing vegetables is the next exciting step, allowing us to expand on what we’ve been doing in our allotment patch at school in recent years. We’re really looking forward to not only growing the crops but also thinking about how we can use them in school, for example, establishing a cookery club or using them in school meals and for snacks.”

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Slurry pits, large machinery, farm animals and grain stores are some of the dangers being highlighted by the firm with figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showing that over the last ten years 31 children under the age of 16 years old were killed in the agricultural sector, as well as a further 12 between the ages of 16 and 18. Many have also suffered serious injuries such as leg amputations or serious burns.

The most common causes of death and major injury include falling from vehicles, being hit by moving vehicles or objects, contact with machinery, falls from height, drowning or contact with animals.

“Agriculture has one of the highest fatal accident rates of all industries in the South West,” says Philip Wilson, Devon, Dorset and Somerset Area Business Development Manager for Cornish Mutual.

He adds: “As farms are homes as well as workplaces, children are often around and every year there are serious injuries or sometimes tragically deaths. With the warm weather, there will be many youngsters playing outside during the summer months and farms can be a real draw.”

Providing secure play areas, keeping farm yards clear and tidy and ensuring stores, machinery and chemicals are stored away and locked when not in use are some of the ways in which farmers can reduce the risks according to Cornish Mutual.

Ian Shears (pictured) who runs an organic farm near Topsham in Devon offers educational visits to schools and is aware of the importance of reducing risks to children: “At Highfield farm we’ve looked carefully at every area to reduce risk as much as possible whilst still letting the children enjoy their farm visit.

“We have created safe areas where children can have their lunch with no hazards like machinery or traffic. We always talk to the children and teachers as soon as they arrive about safety.

“Overall I’ve found children to be very sensible about safety, but its essential children are supervised by a responsible adult at all times. We also like to ensure that we have the right insurance so that if the worst were to happen we know we have the right cover.”

Roger Nourish, Head of the Health & Safety Executive’s Agricultural Sector, said: “Most of us don’t even want to contemplate the death of a child. The fact is tractors, quad bikes and children just don’t mix. When school holidays arrive – it is time to ask: “How am I going to keep my children, and any friends or visitors, safe when they are on the farm?”

“Don’t think for one minute that an accident couldn’t happen on your farm. It only takes a second for an accident to happen. Yet, only a few seconds thinking time can make the difference and prevent the needless loss of young lives.”

However, it is not only children at risk of serious injury or fatality on the farm – many farms in the region have public rights of way across land and walkers may also be at risk.

HSE figures also show that in 2007/08 there were eight fatal injuries among workers in the agricultural sector and 76 major injuries in the South West. There were also 10 non-fatal injuries to members of the public.

The Agricultural Wages Act means farmers are legally required to pay most full-time employees whilst they are off work due to injury.  On a wider basis, legislation means all land owners and users are accountable for injuries which happen as a result of their activities.

Cornish Mutual provides a range of insurances which indemnify farmers against these legal liabilities.

Insurance policies can help to offset the income lost as a result of an accident, and may be used to pay overtime to employees or hire temporary or replacement labour depending on the needs of the farmer.

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