SEAFOOD Scotland’s acclaimed Seafood in Schools project will be visiting Kirkcudbright Academy on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th May 2015, when pupils will be joined by children from Kirkcudbright, Auchencairn, Borgue, Gatehouse and Twynholm primary schools.
More than 200 children will enjoy a series of workshops designed to teach them where seafood comes from, how healthy it is to eat, and how it gets to their plates.
Teachers are also catered for, with a session at lunchtime to give them more confidence in using seafood as a context for learning.
The first workshop featuring a wetfish counter display, is sure to be a hit!
Manned by Jane Mills from Marine Scotland Science, it will enable pupils to see and handle a variety of fresh and live species and to learn how they are caught, landed and processed.
“We’re delighted to be involved in the Seafood in Schools project. It’s a really good way of introducing children to what lives in the sea around Scotland, and by letting them get their hands wet, they can learn so much more,” said Jane.
“Children are fascinated by seeing fish and shellfish up close and love being able to touch them. The teachers often join in too, and it’s great to be able to share that experience with everyone.”
The second workshops concentrates on health and wellbeing and the importance of eating seafood high in Omega 3.
Run by Catriona Frankitti of Fish for Health, it features a tutored ‘Come Dine with Me’ tasting session, using local produce including crab paté from Castle MacLellan and smoked salmon and trout from Galloway Smokehouse.
Also available to delight their taste buds is marinated herring from Silver Tide, Tesco Finest hot smoked mackerel, John West Skippers, and mussels from the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group.
“The tasting sessions are great fun and we encourage everyone to join in,” said Catriona Frankitti.
“We always inform children and their parents where they can source the seafood we serve, and local suppliers are pleased to find an uplift in sales following our workshops, which further encourages their support for us,” she confirmed.
Pupils will also be treated to a cookery demonstration of quick and easy seafood dishes by Jimmy Harvey from the Masonic Arms at Gatehouse of Fleet, who will have plenty of spoons available for tastings. Recipes will be available to take home, for children to recreate with their parents.
The final workshop on offer is run by Pam Taylor from the Solway Firth Partnership, and Margaret and Robert Maxwell, who run the Polarpak fresh fish shop and Polarbites fish and chip shop in Kirkcudbright.
Here, children will learn about the importance of local fisheries and find out how to shuck a scallop and fillet a fish!
Seafood, for the fish display and cooking sessions, is kindly supplied by Polarpak, with a fresh salmon donated by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation.
Scott Landsburgh, CEO of SSPO, said: “We are delighted to continue our support for such a fun and informative programme.
“Encouraging kids to eat a healthy balanced diet that includes fish rich in Omega 3 such as salmon is really important for improving concentration and enhancing brain development.
“The salmon farming industry plays an important part in many rural communities across Scotland and we hope this programme will inform families of some of the benefits it brings including the positive impact it has on the Scottish economy.”
Parents, grandparents, carers, siblings and guardians are encouraged to attend a community event at the Academy from 1500 – 1600 on Tuesday 26th May, to test their own knowledge about fish and shellfish, and to sample seafood delicacies.
As part of their commitment to the Seafood in Schools project, each participating class undertakes a project of their choosing using seafood as a context for learning, which they must demonstrate to the rest of the school through an assembly or similar activity.
In this way, the Seafood in Schools programme and the messages it teaches, have a wider reach.
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Photocall with the children: 11am Tuesday 26th May (alternative timings by arrangement).
To arrange a photocall or for further press enquiries, please contact Martin Hunt on 07767 401 760, martin@tartansilk.co.uk
Seafood in Schools is a project that aims to teach children about Scottish seafood; where it comes from, how it reaches our plates, and why eating seafood is good for us. It is funded by Scottish Government, Aberdeenshire Council, Seafish, Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, the Scottish Fishermen’s Trust and the Scottish Whitefish Producers’ Association, and also relies on in-kind contributions and involvement by the fishing and aquaculture industries. www.seafoodinschools.org
Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO) is at the centre of salmon farming’s industry-wide initiatives and public communication, acting as a trusted source of information, a strong industry voice and a focus through which industry leadership and objectives can be channelled.
Set up in 2006 as an industry organisation for Scottish salmon farming, all members participate in the Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture. The organisation plays a central role in representing the industry on political, regulatory, media and technical issues in Scotland, the UK, EU and internationally.
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