ISS and Innocent drinks have teamed up to deliver Green Fingers - The Big Grow. This week-long gardening event aims to educate pupils about the benefits of homegrown food, sustainability and trying new foods.
For the past seven years, ISS has held Green Fingers in the spring to help teach pupils about the seed to plate journey by providing a different educational activity for pupils. The innocent Big Grow encourages children across the UK and Ireland to get growing their own vegetables.
This year every school who takes part in ‘Green Fingers - The Big Grow’ has the opportunity to win one of four gardening experience days with TV Gardener Chris Collins. He has been an important part of the Green Fingers initiative since the beginning, having conducted approximately 50 school visits and workshops each year since its conception.
The Innocent van will be making surprise visits on these days with refreshments to some of the winning schools as well.
Each lunchtime during Green Fingers week pupils have the chance to win one of 2500 seed packs, provided by Innocent, which they can grow at home or in class. Pupils also have the opportunity to sample some of the produce they are learning about in the form of daily taster dishes provided by ISS’ kitchen teams, including Beetroot Yoghurt Dip and Butternut Squash Wedges.
ISS hope this will encourage pupils to try different fruits and vegetables. Special stickers will be awarded to those who try the dishes and voting boards will be set up in dining rooms so pupils can provide their feedback.
Steve Kemp, Sector Director, ISS Education, stated, “This year I’m thrilled we are collaborating with innocent, and hope that together we can get more young people growing their own. Green Fingers – The Big Grow is a fantastic opportunity to teach young people about gardening and how different produce is grown.
'The taster dishes are a fun way to encourage pupils to try different fruits and vegetables which they may not have had before. I can’t wait to see schools and our teams getting involved in the event.”
Xander Fletcher, Commercial Manager at innocent, said, “I’m personally very excited to work alongside ISS on the Green Fingers – The Big Grow collaboration. Not only will we be able to reach out to even more young kids about the benefits of homegrown produce, but we will also encourage them to include more fruit & veg in their diets.”