RCBS SHOW GUIDE 2019

Education of the origins of food, how it is produced and how everyone can benefit from healthily grown produce is at the core of the Newbury and District Agricultural Society’s aim to educate. The Newbury and District Agricultural Society Education The Education Officer of the Society, Jan Murray, is responsible for a calendar of events, whether it be visiting schools, inviting schools to events on the showground or running demonstrations and competitions at local venues.

Breakfast Workshops: Wanting to impart the message that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we spent a morning in a large number of Primary schools with demonstrations of making porridge and breakfast smoothies, played breakfast themed games and gave the children the opportunity to plant cereal seeds. These workshops will be offered again in 2020 so do contact Education if you would like to be involved. Cookery School: We have been working with Secondary schools this year across both East and West Berkshire, running practical cookery sessions with the students, using locally sourced, fresh, in season, organic produce. The students have also had the opportunity to visit the farms where the produce has come from, giving them a real opportunity to follow the food from field to fork. Agricultural Challenge for Special Education: This challenge saw teams from nine schools and colleges with SEN students working on a series of activities, over two terms, before bringing the outcomes along to a Grand Final at the Arlington Arts Centre in May. The students all received certificates for taking part and Newbury College were announced overall winners with Addington School, Mary Hare Primary School and the Castle School runners up.

Design, Make and Market Challenge:

This challenge for secondary aged students saw six teams attend the Final at Berkshire College of Agriculture in May. They brought along the products they had designed, all with an agricultural/horticultural theme and after informally discussing with the judges they pitched their product to the judges and an invited audience. The winning team was from Kennet School. with two teams from Dedworth Middle School tying second place, and The Clere School taking third. Grow Your Own Potatoes: The weather stayed dry for the harvesting of the Potato Council’s ‘Grow your own potatoes’ initiative which took place both at the showground and at Langley Academy. Both days began with all the children making potato salad, selecting from a variety of ingredients on offer, before harvesting their crops which they had planted in March and had grown back at school. The winners for the heaviest crop were Robert Sandilands Primary, Falkland Primary, Cippenham Primary and Parlaunt Park Primary. Well done to all who entered the competition.

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