Food Story
Barlow Hall Primary School: Vegelicious partners
Food Story
The impact of having the £2 bag on my family has been massive. I am following a healthy eating diet and was struggling to afford fresh fruit and veg, but not any more. We are cooking from scratch every day and eating at least 5 a day.
Vegelicious fruit & veg bag recipient
Barlow Hall Primary School
Barlow Hall Primary School in Chorlton signed up to our Vegelicious scheme in June 2025, having been one of our Community Food Members for almost a decade. The beneficiaries of the Vegelicious deliveries are children and families at the school and Barlow Hall Sure Start Children’s Centre users too.
The school runs a breakfast and after school club which is supported by its regular FareShare delivery. The additional fruit and veg it receives is now used to make up fruit and veg bags for families. Costing just £2 per bag – they’ve been a roaring success!
From a weekly delivery of 800kg of mixed fruit and veg, Sharon, the Parent Support Advisor at Barlow Hall, alongside her three parent volunteers, make up bags of produce for families to buy for £2. The charge covers the cost of the delivery and allows some bags to be handed out for free. The scheme’s open to any families at the school and the neighbouring Sure Start Centre. To encourage recycling, parents are asked to bring in a bag for life, cutting down on the families’ carbon footprint and reducing plastic waste.
Sharon says “the feedback for Vegelicious has been incredible! Parents are so pleased with the amount of fresh produce they get for £2. Lots of them are asking if they can pay more! One parent told us there was enough veg for them to have a portion every day that week, that they normally couldn’t afford”.
She continues, “We have had lots of positive conversations with children and parents about vegetables in particular. Children will come into school the following morning and tell us what they tried the night before. We hand out recipes with the bags and chat with parents about how to sneak veg into their their everyday meals, for example grating courgette really finely and adding it to Bolognese, stews or chilli”.
Three parents with children at the school signed up immediately to volunteer and help run the fruit and veg bag project making it more sustainable. The school says it’s now able to support the local community with low cost fresh fruit and veg to ensure no family goes without. Additionally, two of the parent volunteers have accessed training as a result of their involvement in the project.
Going forward, the school is planning to developing its own growing patch for vegetables within the school, working with children across the school from reception to Year 6 along with parents and community partners. Along with Vegelicious, these activities will be incorporated into its refreshed Healthy Schools approach this autumn term.
My Mum brought home lots of vegetables last night and I tried some corn on the cob. I really liked it and never had it like that before.
Barlow Hall School Pupil
If you’re from a charity or community group supporting those experiencing food insecurity and would like to know more, please get in touch with Sharon, our Vegelicious Coordinator by emailing sharon.robinson@emergemanchester.co.uk.
