Field to Fork

Young Farmers turn film makers to get local food message to children. Members of Worth Valley YFC in West Yorkshire have joined forces with ITV to produce a series of animated films showing the importance of local food.

ITV Fixers helps 16-25 year olds tackle the problems they are passionate about. Work started on the project almost a year ago where footage of their food and farming exhibition at the Bronte Vintage Gathering in Cullingworth was featured on Calendar news. Since then members have worked hard on story boarding, scripting, and the design of characters. In January they travelled to Newcastle to record the voice overs and sound effects for the four short films. The films will shortly be sent out to local schools tohelp educate primary-school-aged children in why local food matters.

Former Club chairman Thomas Ogden said: “Members wanted to work on this project because we are concerned about younger people not knowing where their food comes from – they all go to the supermarket and see it on the shelves but they don’t relate the meat on the shelves to the animals and how you produce it.”

“It is really important from a young farmers’ perspective that people can understand farming and support farming and the future of it, and understand what we do and why we do it.”

The animation follows a two children Joe and Sophie who meet a farmer. He shows and explains where their food comes from and why buying local is so important. To view the animations go to www.worthvalley.org . Since being displayed on the Club’s website last week word has spread via twitter about the animations and members have been fielding messages of support and requests to collaborate from all over the UKand Ireland. The project has been supported by South Pennines Leader and Keighley Area Committee.

Members of Worth Valley YFC will again be promoting thelocal food message at the Bronte Vintage Gathering which will be held at Haworth Road, Cullingworth on 14th and 15th May. As in previous years they are inviting under 16’s to come along to the event free of charge and tickets can be printed from the Worth Valley web site. Club member Sophie Ogden who appears as ananimation in the DVD said, “Its shaping up to be another great event this spring and the club is working with Jamie’s Ministry of food Bradford and Keelham Farm Shop to put on an exhibition that will inspire young and old to buy and cook local produce.”

Worth Valley Yfc in Newcastle voicing their animation

Sophie Ogden (23) and fellow Worth Valley Yfc members from Keighley make an animated film showing how food goes from field to fork.

Fixer Sophie, her brother Thomas, and their farming friends are worried that young people no longer relate the meat that’s on our supermarket shelves to the animals it comes from. They are making an animated film for primary-school-aged children from urban backgrounds, to show them how food ends up on their plates, and how it is produced.

Sophie said: “What we’re concerned about is that people are going into supermarkets and thinking ‘I’ll just have whatever that ham is,’ and they aren’t thinking about where their food came from, or about supporting local farmers.”

Their animation follows a group of children who meet a farmer. He shows and explains where their food comes from, and why buying local is so important. Sophie said, “It’s got a feel-good factor too – the children can see the animals in the field and see how healthy they look.”

“We just want to promote the importance of knowing where your food comes from and not just thinking ‘that’s cheap we’ll get that meat,’ and supporting your local economy really, because wherever you are there’s some sort of farmer and some sort of food source nearby.

“If children know about this from an early age, it’s a good thing to have for when they’re older and buying their own food.”

Four short animations made by Worth Valley Yfc aimed at educating a primary audience about local food.

Worth Valley Yfc at their Field to Fork event

Worth Valley Young Farmers from Keighley held an outdoor event to show young children from urban schools how food ends up on our plates.

A group of young farmers from 15 to 27 are on a mission! They want to teach children in Yorkshire the benefits of eating fresh local produce.

Fixer Thomas Ogden (24) said: “We came together to work on this project because we’re concerned about younger people not knowing where the food comes from – they all go to the supermarket and see it on the shelves but they don’t relate the meat that’s on the shelves to the animals and how you produce it.”

Thomas said: “It’s really important from a young farmers’ perspective that people can understand farming and support farming and the future of it, and understand what we do and why we do it.”

The Fixers are now making a DVD from the event, which they’re planning to take out to schools in Yorkshire, to explain how things are grown and produced.

Watch this broadcast film on ITV’s Calendar programme at 6pm on Thursday 27th May 2010

Worth Valley Yfc from Keighley are holding an outdoor event to show young children from urban schools how food ends up on our plates.

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