The Potato Council has launched a new competition to give secondary schools the chance to win a visit from former Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle.
Tweddle – regarded by many as Britain’s best-ever gymnast – has joined the council’s Cook Your Own Potatoes project, which aims to communicate the health benefits of potatoes to children and encourage them to cook healthy balanced meals featuring potatoes.
The new competition sees Key Stage 3 pupils (aged 11 -14) encouraged to design an eye-catching poster on the theme of ‘Potato Power: Food for Sport’. Pupils can choose to feature any sport in their poster, but they must illustrate how potatoes fit into a healthy, balanced diet. The prize is a workshop session with Tweddle, in which she will explain to the winning school how potatoes fit into her training regime.
Potato Council education coordinator Sue Lawton said: “It’s a real privilege to have Beth at the forefront of the Cook Your Own Potatoes initiative and to lead our secondary school competition. I’m certain that her high profile will help encourage children to learn more about potatoes - from different varieties, uses, tastes and nutritional information.
“We’re calling on industry to get involved and help make the competition a huge success by encouraging local secondary schools to enter. You can help to build awareness for the Cook Your Own Potatoes competition by passing on details to friends and family members or direct to schools in your area. Alternatively, encourage them to visit the website for a host of information.”
A dedicated website at http://cyop.potato.org.uk also features a wide range of materials to help teachers deliver factual and engaging lessons and keep potatoes front of mind with teenagers.
