PUPILS and teachers at Bidford Primary School are celebrating after being recognised for their commitment to healthy eating.

Public Health Warwickshire commissioned the Food for Life Partnership to support schools who teach pupils to cook, to grow, to visit farms and understand where their food comes from, working hand-in-hand with caterers to provide freshly prepared, local and seasonal school meals.

Bidford Primary School earned a Food for Life Silver Award for setting up initiatives such as building a polytunnel, serving locally grown produce to pupils and using plates rather than flight trays to serve food.

Deputy head Laurie Whiting said: "We received the award as recognition of the quality of the food culture across the school, which embraced the culture of growing, cooking and preparing the food we eat .

"We are really proud because we had to work very hard alongside Warwickshire County Council to find local and organic produce."

Councillor Bob Stevens, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for health, added: “Projects such as this can have a real impact on the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families in Warwickshire.

“Our vision for future years is to extend whole food culture support to all schools across Warwickshire and to enhance collaborative partnership working.

"This will give opportunities to children, young people, families, schools, and communities to improve health and wellbeing, sustain a healthy weight, increase physical activity levels, improve mental wellbeing, increase educational achievement and reduce poverty.”