Celebrating our love of fresh fruit and veg with Rose Day
As part of ‘Rose Day’,1st Place, East Street Market and local families came together to celebrate theirlove of fresh fruit and veg with two days of fun and games.
The events celebratedthe Rose Vouchers for Fruit & Veg Project that has been set up in partnershipwith the Alexandra Rose Charity. Through the project, Rose Vouchers are distributedat children’s centres across Southwark such as 1st Place, giving 187 familiesthe ability to access their own choice of fruit and veg from 12 participatingmarket stalls.
On 8 June at 1st PlaceChildren and Parents’ Centre, families made fruit kebabs, decorated fruit hatsand enjoyed face painting. On 11 June at East Street Market, there was a specialtreasure hunt as children searched for a magic ingredient for a healthy cookingsession with the Nutrition andDietetics team from Guys and St Thomas’s. There was also a raffle for abasket full of fruit and vegetables from one Rose Project Market Trader, whichwas won by local mum Sophie Barker.
The original Rose Day was held annually between1912 and 2012 by the Alexandra Rose Charity and saw volunteers across thecountry raise money by selling real, paper, and silk roses. With its newmission of giving families giving access to fresh fruit and vegetables in theircommunity, the Alexandra Rose charity hopes that widespread Rose Day celebrationswith children’s centres and market traders will bring more awareness of theirRose Vouchers for Fruit & Veg Project.
Nicola Howard, Director of 1st place Children and Parents’Centre said “Rose Vouchers are a simple way for our families to increase theamount of fruit and veg in their diets. Families who receive Rose Vouchers comeinto the centre more often and make use of more services than just thevouchers. Whole families are eating more fruit and veg as a result of being onthe project. We love Rose Vouchers and would love to be able to give them toeven more families.”
Jonathan Pauling, Chief Executive of Alexandra RoseCharity says “Children’s Centres and fresh fruit and veg retailers are at theheart of the Rose Vouchers for Fruit & Veg Project. Without them we wouldnot be able to deliver our work. By bringing back Rose Day, an event that tookplace for over a century we hope to honour the legacy of Alexandra Rose Charityand celebrate the fantastic impact that the Rose Vouchers for Fruit & vegproject has had over the past five years. We hope that it connects with peoplewho remember the charity of old but also raises the profile of what we aredoing now so that more families and more communities across the UK can benefitfrom the scheme.”
Rose Vouchers can be collected from 1st Place Children and Parents’ Centre every Wednesday, 9.00-11.00am and every Friday, 1.00-3.00pm. To find out if you are eligible, please contact the 1st Place Children and Parents’ Centre on 020 7740 8070 or info@1stplace.uk.com.
