This week the number of children we’ve taken on a Farm to Fork Trail passed the 600,000 mark. We’re really proud that we’ve been able to help so many children learn about the food they eat, and we’ve been asking some of our wonderful Trail Guides for their insights into what makes the trails so popular.
The response we’ve had from our Trail Guides has been a little overwhelming! They sent us photos they’d taken and copies of thank you letters they’d been sent by pupils, as well as some of the funnier things they’ve been asked (we’re still smiling at “Is tiger bread made from real tigers?”).
Diane from the Harlow Church Langley store told us: “The trails we run at our store are all about keeping the children involved and excited while showing them where their food comes from.” The Trail Guides encourage children to be really hands on, getting them to knead and shape dough, make fruit salads and touch, smell and taste lots of foods they’ve never tried before – from exotic fruits to strange-smelling cheeses. We’ve even heard a whisper that at the Evesham store they get to taste jellied eels. Very brave!
This engaging approach to teaching children about food is having a big impact on their eating habits. Many Trail Guides told us about fantastic feedback from parents, most commonly that their children now prefer eating brown bread to white, and that they’re far more willing to try new fruits and vegetables.
Talking to the Trail Guides, it is immediately obvious how much energy and passion they put into their job, and we think this might be the real secret behind the success of the trails.
From Claire at the Evesham store, who spent time researching different fruits used in beauty products in order to help out with a class project, to Lesley at the Romford store, who went to a Beavers’ pack meeting to hand out badges, the Trail Guides go above and beyond to deliver the very best experience to the children.
We’d like to say a big thank you to all the Trail Guides for the wonderful job they’re doing. We’d also like to say a special thanks to Claire Sandalls, Lesley Dunn, Diane Harper and Alexx Last for all the photos and stories they’ve shared with us – your job looks truly magical.
Finally, we wanted to share one of Lesley’s anecdotes: “The one that means the most to me was when a little girl who had cerebral palsy said at the end: ‘From now on I'm going to eat healthy so I can be in the Paralympics.’ That really gave me a lump in my throat.” We’re expecting a gold for GB in 2024!
