London pupils' passion for pumpkins feeds homeless

Students preparing soup

Source: A&B

Pupils from St Gregory's Catholic Science College in Kenton, northwest London, turned pumpkins, grown in the school's eco-garden, into a hearty soup for the homeless.

The green-fingered pupils - who, earlier this year, won the Royal Horticultural Society's School Gardening Team of the Year award - grew the pumpkins from seed during the summer term. The pumpkins were fed and watered over the summer holidays and harvested by pupils in early October.

As part of the RHS Big Soup Share - a campaign to get school children growing and cooking edible plants - the pupils added thyme (also picked from the school eco-garden) to the pumpkins and created pumpkin and thyme soup. The school's cookery teacher, Damian Cullen, took the soup to Ealing Abbey Soup Kitchen, where over 150 nutritious portions were served up to the charity's grateful customers.

Andrew Mcleay, who coordinates the volunteers for Ealing Soup Kitchen, commented: "It was really special that the soup was home-grown, homemade and served with love from those at the Soup Kitchen."

St Gregory's Headteacher, Andrew Prindiville, said, "I'm really proud of our pupils for sharing the fruits of their labours with those in our community who will benefit the most."

Ealing Soup Kitchen is made up of different church teams from across the Ealing borough, of which Ealing Abbey is one. Ealing Soup Kitchen has been helping the homeless and those in need for over 40 years.