Press releases

Grow your own green generation

January 4 2007

‘Watch us Grow’ New TV programme and teaching resources to help children benefit from healthy eating and growing

Have you ever seen the wonder on the face of a child who has just harvested their own vegetables for the first time? Concerns about rising child obesity mean that schools and parents across the UK are looking for ways to introduce children to the pleasures and benefits of healthy food and exercise.

Furthering this cause is a new TV series and teaching resources ‘Watch us Grow’, which aim to inspire teachers by showing the educational and behavioural value of using gardening, growing and cooking as part of the national curriculum.

Watch Us Grow airs on Teachers’ TV* on Thursday 4 January 2007 at 21.15 and Friday 5 January 2007 at 12.30 and runs for six weeks. The series observes how groups of school children engage with gardening and reap the benefits, which include: reduced truancy, improvements in behaviour and attainment, building social and life skills and the integration of students with different abilities and disabilities in mainstream learning.

The programme follows six schools showing children from age 5 to 18 learn a host of curriculum subjects, life and social skills through growing. Five of the schools are involved with the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) growing education programme ‘Flourish’ - outreach support delivered by trained horticulturists and teachers in schools. Two of the schools featured are participating in the ‘OpenFuture growIt cookIt’ scheme run by the Helen Hamlyn Trust with support from the RHS Flourish programme and the RSA Focus on Food Campaign.

A DVD containing the series and teaching resources, plus extra interviews and guidance notes and a seventh unscreened programme is available for a nominal charge of £4.95 to cover postage and packing, thanks to funding from the Department of Education and Skills Growing Schools Programme and the Helen Hamlyn Trust. To order a copy call 0845 60 222 60, fax 0845 60 333 60, textphone 0845 60 555 60 and please quote ref: 04310-2006DVD-EN.

Notes to Editors

For more information and photos please contact the RHS Press Office: Judy Claughton on 020 7821 3692 or Hannah Talbot on 020 7821 3043 or e-mail: judyclaughton@rhs.org.uk or hannahtalbot@rhs.org.uk

* Teachers’ TV is available on Sky channel 880, Telewest 240, NTL 240, Home Choice 835 and Freeview channel 88. Programmes can also be viewed online at www.teachers.tv, where accompanying teaching resources are available to download.

Watch Us Grow airs on Teachers’ TV on Thursday 4 January 2007 at 21.15, and further programmes will be transmitted every Thursday for six weeks at either 21.15 or 21.30 (check Teachers’ TV online schedule for programme times at www.teachers.tv/schedule. The first screening will take place on Sky channel 880, Telewest 240, NTL 240, Home choice 845.

The programme can also be seen on Freeview, channel 88 on Fridays ay 12.30 midday, starting Friday 5 January 2007.

The last programme airs on 8 February 2007. To view the programmes online go to www.teachers.tv and complete the free registration form. Each programme is available to download for free for one day after its first screening. The programme will be repeated on Teachers’ TV during the week commencing 5 March 2007 at 8.15am every morning for the channel’s 'Going Green' week. Check online schedules for further details (www.teachers.tv/schedule.

The Watch Us Grow DVD and teaching resources are available for £4.95, thanks to sponsorship from DFES Growing Schools Programme and Helen Hamlyn Trust.  To order a copy call 0845 60 222 60, fax 0845 60 333 60, textphone 0845 60 555 60 and please quote ref: 04310-2006DVD-EN.

Four of the schools featured are following innovative growing education programme ‘Flourish’ run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK’s leading gardening charity. For more information click on “learning” when you visit www.rhs.org.uk.

Two of the schools featured are participating in the ‘OpenFuture growIt cookIt’ scheme run by the Helen Hamlyn Trust with support from the RHS and the RSA Focus on Food Campaign. As a partner in the Helen Hamlyn Trust OPEN FUTURE campaign RHS Garden Harlow Carr has two project officers who are working with ten schools in the Leeds and Wakefield districts to develop and establish the growing of vegetables and fruit in the school grounds. This is phase 2 of the project which has already run for more than one year with ten schools on the South coast where two more project officers are involved. Our project officers are tasked not only with developing the school grounds but with developing resources to assist schools in setting up ‘food producing’ gardens and resources to utilise these gardens for a range of curriculum-linked teaching activities.

About the partners
The programme and package of teaching resources have been developed in partnership between the Department For Education and Skills Growing Schools Programme, Helen Hamlyn Trust, The Royal Horticultural Society, RSA Focus on Food Campaign, Teachers’ TV and Two Four.

About the RHS
The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. RHS Learning supports a host of innovative opportunities for people of all ages to experience the social and health benefits of gardening.

Teachers’ TV broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on digital satellite (Sky 880), digital cable (ntl/Telewest 240), Homechoice (845), and between 11am - 1pm on Freeview (88).

The DfES Growing Schools programme encourages schools to use the outdoor classroom as a resource across the curriculum for pupils of all ages and abilities. It aims to reconnect children with nature, encouraging them to take responsibility for the natural environment; teaching them how food is produced, particularly how fruit and vegetables are grown; giving them high quality outdoor experiences, for example through field studies; encouraging use of the school grounds as a learning resource; promoting links with local community groups, e.g. allotments and city farms. Running since 2001, Growing Schools has more than 12,000 schools and organisations signed up. For more information please visit www.teachernet.gov.uk/growingschools

www.rhs.org.uk/pressoffice

The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. RHS work includes providing expert advice and information, advancing horticulture, training the next generation of gardeners, helping school children learn about plants, and conducting research into plants, pests and environmental issues affecting gardeners.

An interest in gardening is all you need to enjoy being a member of the RHS. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk or call 0845 130 4646.

Founded in 1804, the Royal Horticultural Society is Britain's largest gardening charity and is committed to being the leading organisation demonstrating excellence in horticulture and promoting gardening. Renowned for its outstanding gardens and inspirational flower shows, the RHS is a key source of advice and information for all gardeners. It encourages gardening through its publications, trials, lectures, education programmes and scientific research and is home to the Lindley Library, which contains the most comprehensive collection of horticultural books in the world.

Membership of the Royal Horticultural Society offers many exclusive benefits including a monthly copy of The Garden magazine; free entrance to RHS Gardens Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Hyde Hall in Essex and Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire; free access to a further 88 beautiful gardens across Britain and 20 gardens in Belgium and France; access to seeds collected at RHS gardens; free gardening advice and privileged tickets to 18 RHS flower shows, including the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park.

For further enquiries about membership of the RHS contact: Membership Department, Royal Horticultural Society, PO Box 313, London SW1P 2PE; 0845 130 4646 Monday - Friday 9.30am - 5pm or via the RHS website

For more information e-mail the Press Office or visit the online Press Office