Prendergast CP School in Haverfordwest becomes the first in Pembrokeshire to take on a new sustainable initiative with a new pop-up food and “pre-loved” clothes shop.
The new food pop-up shop is a described as a “community fair share shop” by Pembrokeshire County Council. The shop is part of a new government funded project called the “The Big Bocs Bwyd” which aims to support Prendergast as well as the wider community by selling food “surplus food’’ from local supermarkets that was originally going to be thrown away. The food is then sold at a discounted price, as part of a new food redistribution effort in Pembrokeshire to help “fight food wate and lower food prices.”
Pure West Radio was invited into to the school’s open day and got to look at the new pop-ups on the site. The “Bocs Bwyd” shop is in a shipping container on the school yard and is stocked with fresh food. The pop-up is run by the children primarily with help from the teachers. Fruit, vegetables, and bread are free of charge, otherwise, the pop-up charges one pound for three items. Some of the “bestsellers” as the children described were “pot-noodles” to name a few.
The teachers eventually hope to be “able to grow their own produce” to sell in the shop as part of the government initiative but explained that the winter months were “not the best time to start this process.” The teachers also eventually hope to “make up recipe cards with the children” including only items from the pop-up, to potentially combat the rising food costs for families at the school and in the wider community. The project aims to ensure that every child will be “food literate by growing, cooking and learning about the food that they eat”.
“Pre-Loved at Prendy”
Another initiative that the school has taken up is a second-hand clothes and toy shop with items that are described as “pre-loved.” The pop-up sells a mixture of clothing items sectioned in different boxes. Some of the more popular clothing items include baby clothing and winter coats. The shop charges fifty pence per toy or three items for one pound. The shop aims to give new life to the communities’ unwanted clothes and helps re-repurpose them in a sustainable and affordable way that benefits the local community, providing good quality items at low prices.
The new initiatives are reportedly going well at the school, and parents and pupils were grateful to be first in the county to be awarded the funding to set up and take on the pop-up shops. The school is looking forward to expanding and developing the pop-ups under the governments aims to benefit and teach the pupils the importance of sustainability and their own practical involvement in these opportunities. The government’s aim is to eventually expand these initiatives throughout schools in Wales, in a bid to make the country a more sustainable and environmentally conscious place, starting with young children which they described as “empowering the next generation!”
Earlier today (7th December) Gina & Tom caught up with Hannah, the founder of Big Bocs Bwyd and their plans for the future. You can listen back to that interview online now.
New Sustainable Initiative at Prendergast School