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Life on the farm shocks city children
Miranda Bryant29 Oct 2009
A ten-year-old girl who had only once left London has described the "shocking" experience of being thrown into country life for a farm bootcamp.
Chevonne Lawrence-Staunton, from Southwark, had never eaten fish before she spent 10 days in Devon for a new television series.
She was one of nine children recruited from community groups in inner cities to appear on CITV's Farm Camp.
Every day the children, aged between nine and 12, were set tasks by a farmer that involved them getting close to raw ingredients and understanding how food is made.
They were made to milk cows, catch fish or make their own sausages and were forbidden from going to shops to get the kind of food they were used to.
Chevonne said she had been put off lamb since the filming as she made burgers from sheep she had got to know. But she now eats prawns.
She said: "We saw lambs chopped up and saw pork hanging up and then we had to make sausages out of it for the barbecue. I wasn't used to seeing all of that so it was quite shocking."
However, she added: "My mum and dad had tried lots of times to make me eat fish but I had a change of mind after trying fresh fish that I had caught myself. My parents were really surprised when I came home and ate prawns."
Before the programme was filmed in Bicton near Sidmouth, Chevonne had only left London to go to Eastbourne.
She said she found the experience "very exciting" and thinks all inner-city children ought to be given similar opportunities.
Farmer Paul Redmore, who supervised the camp, said it was an eye-opening experience for all the children.
"Most of the children thought working on the farm was going to be easy, but they soon realised that it's not. Whether making sausages or digging up vegetables, every job gave them far more hands-on experience than they could get in the classroom."
The programme was sponsored by supermarket Morrisons as part of its Let's Grow campaign.
Angus Maciver, of Morrisons, said: "We're absolutely delighted that Chevonne learned so much during her time on the farm.
"Through Farm Camp and our Let's Grow programme, we aim to support children's food education.
"It's vital they have an understanding of self-sufficiency and where their food actually comes from before appearing on the supermarket shelves."
Farm Camp is on weekdays at 5pm on CITV.
Reader views (3)
I really want to be on this I saw it on citv and I fought it looked quite good please let me be in this club
- Luke, rainham essex uk, 03/02/2010 20:51
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It reminds me of what my mother told me about children evacuated during WW2, that some when asked where does milk come from replied "bottles" - and of course the answer should have been "cows".
- Judith, KIng's Lynn, Norfolk, UK, 29/10/2009 18:53
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Good for Morrisons & CITV. More of this kind of thing needs to be organised. Its as bad as the so called north south devide in that many city dwellers are so out of touch with rural life which unfortunately distorts their more important views and opinions.
- Tony, Herts, 29/10/2009 10:03
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