Celebrating Harvest Festival at Bedales Prep and Pre-prep
Compassion, reflection and gratitude were at the heart of Harvest Festival celebrations at Bedales Prep and Pre-prep Schools last week, when pupils, staff and parents came together to support the local community.
Pupils at both schools collected donations for Petersfield Food Bank, which offers vital support for local families and individuals experiencing financial difficulties by providing food and other essential items. The donations were delivered to the Food Bank by Bedales Prep’s Head of Community Service Jonathan Peers.
At Bedales Pre-prep, pupils marked Harvest Festival with an assembly, which saw children dress up in autumnal costumes and perform a selection of Harvest songs. Year 2 pupils presented a heart-warming adaptation of Helen Cooper’s Pumpkin Soup, reading out the unique ingredients of kindness they’d like to put in their own ‘friendship soup’. Year 3 pupils also played an important role in the assembly by foraging foliage for the Harvest Festival decorations and designing the covers of the programmes.
At the assembly, pupils were also joined by Bedales Senior’s Head of Outdoor Work Andrew Martin, who – accompanied by four Bedales Senior students and the school’s Pygmy goats – spoke to them about the importance of community, compassion and supporting others.
Pupils at both Bedales Prep and Pre-prep Schools celebrated with a delicious Harvest Lunch prepared by the school’s catering team. Bedales Prep pupils also had the opportunity to harvest and cook with produce for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)’s Big Soup Share: an annual event designed to encourage school children to grow and eat their own produce.
Events such as Harvest Festival bring together many of the values integral to a Bedales education. The school’s founding principle ‘Work of Each for Weal of All’, is centred around collective responsibility, community and contributing positively to the world in a variety of ways.
Head of Bedales Prep Colin Baty commented: “It is the time of year when farmers harvest, but also a time of thanks for what we have sowed and are now reaping in food. The generosity of Bedales Prep and Pre-prep families to our local Food Bank is wonderful. It is so important that we continue to reach out and support our community.”
Head of Bedales Pre-prep Fiona Read added: “The children felt a wonderful sense of being able to come together and support people in the wider community. Thank you everyone.”
