Young Marketeers Barking and Dagenham

Young Marketeers brings together children from local primary schools to experience the joy of growing, harvesting and cooking delicious fresh fruit and veg. Once the veg has been picked, we engage their enterprise skills to sell their produce at Barking Market. All proceeds from the Young Marketeers sale will go to a local food charity or community food partner. Money raised will provide food for a local charity to make tasty meals for vulnerable people in the borough; supporting children to engage with positive action. Last year, £236 was raised by primary schools for Marks Gate Relief Project, a local food charity supporting food insecure families with food activities. We are happy if schools want to donate the proceeds of the sale to their school food bank.

Pupils take part in the following elements:

• Assembly - an introduction to the programme and local food partner

• Gardening and market trader training at Barking Market - the schools take a trip to the market to learn all about how to plant their seed from our expert gardener, and also how to set up the ultimate stall with help from the Markets team (this can also take place at the school if preferred, which will provide extra garden support)

• Cooking session exploring food from different heritages and cultures with a local charity or community group to showcase food from a certain heritage or culture

• Gardening health check - midway through the project the School Food Matters gardener visits every school to ensure that veg is in tip-top shape for sale day.

• Sale day - schools head to Barking Market to become market traders for the day.