Edible Rotherhithe is benefitting from a £1,000 donation from Tesco – helping to provide fresh produce to the school’s kitchen throughout lockdown.
Despite the new restrictions the charity is still growing and harvesting fresh fruit and veg in the school’s polytunnel, which are then used to make healthy school meals. The grant was part of Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ community grant scheme.
Christina Wheatley, a trustee and project manager at Edible Rotherhithe said: “Like many local charities and community groups, COVID-19 has restricted Edible Rotherhithe’s ability to operate as we normally would – so it’s fantastic that we can keep supplying the school with fresh produce.
“We can’t wait to start up our after-school activities again once restrictions have been lifted.
“The after-school classes we normally offer at Surrey Square have received nothing but positive feedback from both the parents and the pupils.
“Introducing children to the idea of nurturing and harvesting their own food has opened up a new world to them, and has taught them the benefit of healthy, freshly grown produce.
“We’ve had parents tell us that their children are suddenly taking an interest in cooking, which has given them a new shared activity, bringing them even closer as a family!
“The donation from Tesco will help us continue the after-school classes after lockdown which provide an invaluable service to the pupils at Surrey Square, and for that, we’re hugely grateful.”
In total, 1,995 groups were awarded grants of £1,965,500 by Tesco throughout the UK in 2020.
Another organisation in Southwark to receive funding is Community Cycleworks, a charity that runs build-a-bike courses, bike fix sessions and on road and mountain biking ride outs for young people in the area.
https://ediblerotherhithe.org.uk/donate