SPAR supports spooktacular activity at Preston primary school

Children at Ashton Primary School in Preston got into the spirit of Halloween with some spooktacular support from SPAR.

Thirty children in Reception class took part in a cookery session to concoct a healthy pumpkin and carrot soup with ingredients supplied by James Hall & Co. Ltd. SPAR recipe cards were also provided to children to take home alongside additional pumpkins, carrots, and onions, enabling them to recreate their bubbling broth together with their parents.

The cookery sessions were set up to promote healthier eating options and came to fruition with support from Preston City Council and the University of Central Lancashire’s Dietetics department. As part of the Halloween event, children in Reception were also joined by pupils from Years 1 and 2 to allow their imaginations to run wild by decorating a pumpkin in a carving competition.

Reception winner was Almirah with her clever upside-down bat design, while Wiktor won the Year 1 competition with his ‘Happy Halloween’ pumpkin.

Ella-Rose was named the winner of Year 2 competition with her larger ghost pumpkin eating a smaller orange pumpkin, with the design also illuminating through the inclusion of tea lights.

Bryony Readey, Reception teacher and Assistant Headteacher at Ashton Primary School, said: “We are so grateful to SPAR for supplying us with ingredients to promote our healthy eating agenda within school and the children had so much fun in the cookery session.

“We know that they also enjoyed some valuable parent and child time in creating their pumpkins for the competition, and we hope they will replicate that with the recipe cards and ingredients they are taking home.”

Aishah Ibrahim, Junior Fresh Trading Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “This has been a fantastic piece of partnership work supporting Ashton Primary School. We were delighted to hear the children loved the cookery sessions and we were very impressed with the creativity that had gone into the pumpkin carving competition.

“It isn’t often in my role we get to support the community like our retail teams at SPAR stores do every day, but this project has enabled that, and we look forward to working with Ashton Primary School on other initiatives this academic year.”

James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.