Pupils from Winchburgh Academy following His Majesty The King’s vision to end food waste have been honoured for their work on an education course on a Royal estate.

Winchburgh Academy pupils who took part in The King’s Foundation’s Food For The Future
programme on the Dumfries House estate in East Ayrshire won the Community Impact Award after demonstrating their knowledge on how the food production system works and reducing food waste.

The programme run by The King’s Foundation, whose education courses reflect the vision of
charity founder His Majesty King Charles III, is backed by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, TV
personality and farmer Jimmy Doherty, The Soil Association and Business in the Community.

Jo Donald, the Winchburgh teacher who led nine pupils on the programme, said: “The pupils
responded to the challenges of the Food For The Future programme with great enthusiasm and
determination. The pupils not only gained practical knowledge but also developed critical
thinking skills as they engaged with real-world issues. Their creativity in finding innovative
solutions to sustainability challenges was particularly impressive. Through the programme, they
emerged more aware of the importance of their individual contributions to a healthier, more
sustainable future.

“At school, they introduced food waste bins into the school canteen, which they monitored to
ensure that the correct food was put in it. They then weighed the food waste and found that
each day they were saving over 3kg each day of food waste that went to the community garden
and was placed in the compost bins.”

Earlier this month, judges assessing the food-waste solutions presented by the programme’s
four participating schools were impressed by Winchburgh’s canteen initiative and decided to
award the Community Impact Award to the West Lothian pupils. Yvonne Thomson of UK
Harvest, Moira Stalker of Food and Drink Federation Scotland, Chris Waltho of Woodpecker
Joinery, and Helly McAllister of Fortnum and Mason were on the panel.

Pupils from the school are among a number of local groups who regularly engage with
Winchburgh Community Growing Group within the town’s 85-acre Auldcathie District Park,
which lies at the heart of a community being developed by Winchburgh Developments Ltd.

John West, co-chair of Winchburgh Community Growing Group, said: “We are proud to further our relationship with Winchburgh Academy through this project and are already receiving food
waste to add to our new turntable compost bins in the growing area just a few minutes’ walk
from the school. These two new bins can make fresh compost in a matter of weeks. New no-dig
beds have been created so the pupils can grow with skills learned from The King’s Foundation
visits at Dumfries House and we're looking forward to tasting some of the food creations made alongside Mrs Donald – food grown from park to plate!”

Food For The Future comprises a series of experiential practice-based masterclasses where
pupils have the opportunity to learn from experts in farming, food production and cooking
alongside developing skills in connected science-based activity. They explore the inner
workings of farms, factories and community projects, as well as tap into expertise provided by
the Jamie Oliver Group.