STUDENTS helped to run their own food stalls as part of a campaign to educate children on where their food comes from and how it is produced.

Pupils from The Prince of Wales First School, Radipole Primary School, St Osmund’s CE Middle School, Manor Park First School & Damers First School were at Dorchester Market rubbing shoulders with seasoned traders as they helped to run a market stall selling produce such as courgette flowers, lettuce, shallots and rainbow chard on Wednesday, September 22.

The sale was the culmination of several months of hard work by the students in their school gardens run by Young Marketeers.

Young Marketeers is a project run by school food campaigners, School Food Matters, and supported by Local Food Links.

Dorset Echo: Mayor of Dorchester visiting the Young Marketeers stall. Picture: Local Food MattersMayor of Dorchester visiting the Young Marketeers stall. Picture: Local Food Matters

Caroline Morgan, chief executive of Local Food Links said: “The children impressed the local community with both their growing skills and their confidence. The fresh fruit and vegetables were wonderful and sold well. Pupils had also used their home grown produce to make soup, chutneys and muffins, enlarging their product range. The entrepreneurial skills displayed were incredibly impressive.”

Children at the schools planted their vegetable seeds in the spring and have been nurturing them until now. They were trained in food growing and market trading. Every pound raised on Market Day went back into the school gardening clubs.