Hautes Capelles School has expanded its student-led nutrition initiative, with fresh produce being provided to the school’s 400 pupils, building on a two year project to improve nutrition.
The ‘Focus on Our Diet Team’, or F.O.O.D, is a pupil-led group that selects available snacks and encourages their peers to make healthier choices.
With help from the charity GROW, and the Health Improvement Commission, the school provides fresh fruit and vegetables in “hedge veg” boxes for snacks during breaks and clubs.
The new funding, thanks to the M&S Guernsey Community Fund, allows the school to offer a wider range of items requested directly by students, including peppers, pineapple, and carrot sticks.
Stephanie Williams, a Teacher and the Eat Well Lead at Hautes Capelles School, said: “The money that M&S gifted to Hautes Capelles has been beneficial to hundreds of children. Weekly, we add a variety of fresh fruit and veg, bought from M&S, to our ‘hedge veg’ style wooden boxes.”
Ms Williams said this has had a visible impact.
“The children get excited to try the fruit and veg and essentially ‘top up’ their snack or lunchbox. For some children, it’s a chance to try something new altogether.
“It has become an exciting weekly event where the children know it is Wednesday and will race to the hedge veg to see the delights inside and reap the benefits of eating more fruit and veg daily.”
Greg Yeoman, the Head of Marks and Spencer Guernsey, said he’s “delighted” M&S could support the initiative which “promotes healthy eating amongst school children”.
“Hautes Capelles is doing some great work locally to ensure the next generation grows up exploring food and considering healthy snack options.”