SCHOOLS in the North West have signed up to a campaign to teach children about growing their own fruit and vegetables.

Children at 158 schools in the region will learn about fresh produce after joining the Let’s Grow campaign, sponsored by Morrisons.

Schools taking part in the initiative will receive thousands of free salad leaf seeds to encourage children to grow fresh food.

Parents, friends and families can also start getting behind the scheme by collecting Let’s Grow reward vouchers from their local Morrisons store.

Schools can redeem the vouchers for free gardening equipment including spades, composting bins, planters and greenhouses.

A team of gardening experts provided by community garden specialists, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG), will also visit some of the participating schools to give hands-on support.

Garden designer and TV presenter Diarmuid Gavin is fronting the campaign. He said: “By encouraging schoolkids to get green-fingered, we can help them learn more about fresh fruit and veg.

“Planting seeds and tending them to spring up and sprout is great fun and very rewarding. Who knows, having grown and picked their own, they might even get a taste for eating their greens too.”

Morrisons shoppers will be able to collect vouchers in store on all purchases of £10 or more to pass on to their local participating school until November 6.