IT has been two years since children from the North's schools enjoyed a special day in the countryside hosted by Glendale Agricultural Society (GAS).
But this year, Rachael Tait, secretary of GAS, welcomed more than 1,500 children to the society’s Children’s Countryside Day (CCD) held at the show field in Wooler on June 9.
The last event was in 2019, after which Covid restrictions virtually closed down Britain. In that time, of course, farming never paused.
Rachael said: “We were delighted to see the return of the Children’s Day and our hundreds of young visitors. Having no opportunity to introduce the next generation properly to the countryside, and the people who work there, has been the greatest disappointment to us.
“It is so important to show children where their food comes from, and what a great resource our countryside is. During lockdowns, there were queues in some supermarkets, but farmers never let their customers down.
Children learn about sheep at the Children's Countryside Day
"We hope recent experience and seeing how our food is produced, up close, will help the next generation really appreciate agriculture and farming.”
The Children’s Day sees many farmers and producers with their livestock, produce, and equipment, demonstrating what they do, and giving many youngsters a hands-on experience, that town life denies them, especially when locked down.
Rachael said: “This is about connectivity with the countryside and the vital role that our British farmers play. Our area in North Northumberland is deep-rooted in crop growing and livestock farming.
"The Children’s Countryside Day is a platform for the region and what it does best – feeding the nation.”
Children find out about where our food comes from at the Children's Countryside Day
The Flag Competition is an annual highlight of the event, when each school is tasked with creating a flag that best fits the set theme.
This year, the organisers were looking for flags with the children’s interpretation of climate change. Judged by Cllr Mark Mather, the 2022 winners were Morpeth Stobhillgate First School, with Otterburn Primary School and Norham First School coming second and third, respectively.
Lord James Joicey, president of the society, said: “The GAS Children’s Countryside Day has been a resounding success. It has become a much looked forward to educational event in the calendar for schools, and presents an amazing opportunity to showcase and explain where food comes from.
"How it gets to your local MacDonald’s or onto the shelf of your supermarket. Now we’re back, up and running once more, and the farmers and businesses who volunteer their time are key to the experience – engaging and educating the children.”
Rachael said: “We give a special thank you to MSP and Border Embroideries who stepped in at the last minute to donate over £1,500 worth of rope backpacks for the children to take away home with their memorabilia from the day.”
The next big day in the calendar of GAS is the annual Glendale Show at the end of August. It too has seen a two-year break thanks to the pandemic.
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