Page 23 - SV 3 2024

Countrytastic 2024
SANDRA HALL FNVS, NATIONAL LADY CHAIR
Back in February I received an email from one of the organisers of the Countrytastic Show, held on the Three Counties Showground, Malvern. To see if we, the National Vegetable Society, would like to take part. The show is just for kids to learn all about food, farming, and the countryside and to know where our food comes from.
I personally thought this was a great event for us to venture into, so I put it to the board of Trustees. Who all agreed this was an area we should be working to educate children, our future gardeners.
The next step was to get a team together, so we decided to send out an email to
all Midlands Branch members asking for volunteers, to either grow some seedlings, donate onion sets or seed potatoes
or help on the day. The response was overwhelming with not only offers of help, but their thoughts on the NVS doing this event, which were all very positive, for example “these are the events the NVS should be doing”.
I went down the night before in the campervan, drove straight into the Severn Hall, found our spot and unloaded. I was able to park up for the night at the back of the Hall along with a few other Campers. The next morning, the volunteer members arrived, and we started to set up. We had three trestle tables: -
• Table 1 - How to grow potatoes in a pot, putting the seed potato to chit, to planting, to the grown plant.
• Table 2 - Pricking out seedlings, we had tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and onion sets. They pricked them off into compostable pots ready to take home.
• Table 3 – A quiz put the vegetable to the right plant. We had six to do.
Then behind us we put up some display boards to say who we were and what we were about.
Each child took away with them a ‘NVS Goody bag’ consisting of a packet of seeds, courtesy of Kings Seeds or a seed potato, an NVS note pad and pencil, an NVS fury Bug, an NVS membership form and of course their potted-up seedling.
The day started slowly but once they found their way down the showground
to the Severn Hall it soon got very busy. The ladies making up the goody bags said they had done over 200 and they all went. Both the children and adults who visited the stand showed a lot of interest and asked a lot of questions. It was great to see the children getting their hands dirty and enjoying themselves. It was a long day,
by the time we packed up and headed for home, but thoroughly enjoyable.
It must have been for the volunteers
as well as they have offered to do more events!!! I would like to sincerely thank
all our volunteers who provided seedlings and onion sets etc. and for everyone’s enthusiasm and help throughout the event, it makes such a difference. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank
Kings Seeds, who donated numerous packets of seeds which enabled us to give free seeds to encourage kids to grow even more once they got home. Let’s hope they get the gardening bug.
Simply Vegetables 23