Chicken News!

For those of you not of the SFM 'chicken hit list', here's the latest on Grey Court Community Chickens. And don't forget to vote on Tuesday 23 November!

ONLY ONE WEEK TO GO!

Countdown to Grey Court's Community Chickens

Just one more week to go before students at Grey Court School appear on ITV London Tonight in the finals of The People’s Millions. On Tuesday 23 November Grey Court Community Chickens will go head-to-head with another London-based project to win enough public votes and secure funding.

Excitement is building as students at Grey Court and Sheen Mount Primary School prepare for their star appearance. ITV will be visiting the school on Thursday 18 November at 12.30pm to film the students as they are introduced to some feathery friends.

But Grey Court will not be waiting until their film goes to air to get voting. The school will be mobilizing its chicken team as soon as the magic phone number is released in the early edition of the Daily Mirror and will be working hard all day to get as many people to call from 9am until the lines close at midnight.

Meanwhile, students have been engaging their IT skills and have set up a Facebook page and Twitter account to spread the word. Please follow us!

Grey Court’s head teacher Maggie Bailey says, ‘This project will benefit everyone, improving things for the children and building links within our community. But, in the words of Louis Walsh – “We need your votes”. We are up against some stiff opposition so remember 23 November and vote-vote-vote!’.

The result of the head-to-head will be broadcast on ITV London News on Wednesday 24 November.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Stephanie Wood

stephanie@schoolfoodmatters.com

020 8392 5055/07948 247 692

www.schoolfoodmatters.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Please vote! To help Grey Court Community Chickens win funding please vote by phone between 9am and midnight on Tuesday 23 November 2010. The voting phone number will be advertised on www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/2010-finalists/london/grey-court-community-chickens and in the Daily Mirror on the day.

ITV News will be visiting the school on Thursday 18 November at 12.30pm.

Grey Court Community Chickens will feature in a short film on Tuesday 23 November on the ITV London Tonight between 6.00pm and 6.30pm.

Grey Court School is at Ham Street, Ham, Richmond TW10 7HN. Grey Court plans to keep free-range hens in secure enclosures on the school grounds with students setting up an egg selling enterprise. Nearby primary schools can have equipment to hatch, rear and keep their own chicks, giving them a wonderful opportunity to experience the whole animal life cycle. Primary school chickens will be able to stay at the Grey Court ‘hen hotel’ in the holidays, cared for by the part-time poultry keeper who will also teach students and local people about all aspects of chicken keeping. Local families can get involved with the opportunity to board some of these chickens in the holidays.

Grey Court opened its community allotment in July 2010 and the community chickens are the next stage in plans to set up a small school farm. Keeping chickens is an easy and exciting way to start, by encouraging students to learn about caring for animals and producing fresh, local food.

School Food Matters campaigns for fresh sustainable food in schools and for children to understand where their food comes from. To achieve SFM listens to schools, parents and children. Together they urge local authorities to improve school meals and to support food education through cooking, growing and links with local farms.

The People's Millions is a partnership between Big Lottery Fund and ITV, where the public decides which local community projects get up to £50,000 of Lottery funding. http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk/2010-finalists/london/grey-court-community-chickens