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GARDENING equipment and seedlings purchased with a donation from the 2012 Barclays Community Awards has helped teach the Centre Point Trust’s Funky Monkeys group about growing their own food.
GARDENING equipment and seedlings purchased with a donation from the 2012 Barclays Community Awards has helped teach the Centre Point Trust’s Funky Monkeys group about growing their own food.
Centre Point Trust received £2,075 from Barclays Wealth and Investment Management at last year’s Community Awards which was put towards supporting the 86 children currently on the ‘Funky Monkey’s Grow Their Own’ project which teaches the children how to grow their own fruit and vegetables. The children also learn about cooking and how to market their produce to ‘sell’ to other groups at the Centre Point Trust.
Jersey charities can now apply for the 2013 Barclays Community Awards which will focus on projects that enhance enterprise, employability and financial skills of young people in the island.
Centre Point Charity was established in 1984 and aims to support the local economy and the needs of working and single parents by providing the option of affordable childcare.
The charity purchased a number of items with the donation including; waterproof clothing, wood and plastic sheeting to build an eco-greenhouse, two new sheds and seedlings and soil for the children to use to grow their vegetables.
Jane Moy, Chief Executive Officer of Centre Point Trust said: “We’re hugely grateful to Barclays for their generous donation and for supporting us with the ‘Funky Monkeys Grow Their Own’ project.'
“The children have had a lot of fun learning about food and are really enjoying the experience of creating the vegetable beds and watching their fruit and vegetables grow. Unfortunately due to bad weather this year getting the garden to where we want it to be has been difficult but all the children and the staff that have worked on the project can’t wait to see it come to full fruition.”
So far this year the children have managed to grow peppers, tomatoes and onions which they have used in their afternoon snack. In addition to this, they are currently growing a range of different flowers, raspberries, strawberries, carrots and butternut squash. Next year they are planning to broaden their range of produce to include seasonal items that can be used in the units such as pumpkins.
Adele Langlois from Barclays Wealth and Investment Management, said: “It’s brilliant that the children have the hands-on involvement of planting their seeds, nurturing and watering the plants, watching them grow and then selling and cooking with the produce through the ‘Funky Monkey’s Grow Their Own’ project.
“It’s so important for children to learn about where their food comes from and this project allows them to do just that whilst having a lot of fun in the process!”
Centre Point Trust was one of 8 charities that received a donation from Barclays through the Barclays Community Awards 2012.
Entry forms for the 2013 awards are available to collect from the Barclays branch at Library Place, Barclays offices on Broad Street and the Esplanade or by email from adele.langlois@barclays.com. The deadline for entries is Friday 15 November.
