Pigs (and kids!) Go Wild at Family Fun Day

We teamed up with Groundwork Suffolk’s project EastFeast to host a free Family Fun Day celebrating all things pigs at our Education Centre on Fore Street today (Friday 29 July).

As part of the Pigs Gone Wild art trail, children were able to get stuck in to a range of interactive arts and crafts activities, from creating pig collages and pig potato printing to writing pig poems and painting pig pictures. Creative practitioners from the EastFeast project were also on hand to offer fun and healthy refreshments as part of their popular smoothie bike challenge.

The event was dedicated to our very own Pepper Pig, who is covered in bright, colourful bell and chilli peppers. Minnie Moll, Joint Chief Executive for the East of England Co-op said; “It has been fantastic to team up with Groundwork Suffolk and their EastFeast project in running a fun and creative day with a healthy twist.

“We have really enjoyed being part of the Pigs Gone Wild trail this summer and feel proud to offer our support in giving back to the community in such a unique and worthwhile way.”

Earlier this year, Suffolk-based schools arts and horticultural charity Eastfeast joined forces with Groundwork Suffolk, meaning schools across the region will benefit from an even wider range of environmental education projects.

In the lead up to the Family Fun Day, we visited Springfield Infant School and worked with Groundwork Suffolk to run a creative morning for a very enthusiastic Year One class! In honour of Pepper Pig, the class came together at the end of the morning to create a large scale ‘art attack’ pig outside, made entirely of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Louisa Thorp, Eastfeast Creative Practitioner, said: “We jumped at the opportunity to work with the East of England Co-op and get involved with the Pigs Gone Wild trail, which we know has been the source of much excitement for the town this summer. Today has been brilliant - it’s always great to see children engaging with healthy eating and having fun along the way.”

We were also crowned official ‘Pigsty Partner’ for the Pigs Gone Wild project back in March and, until their recent escape to take up their rightful places in town, had been providing all pigs with a place to call home at our warehouse on Boss Hall Industrial Park in Ipswich.

Norman Lloyd, Pigs Gone Wild project manager, said: “It was great to see so many families at the Fun Day enjoying the brilliant activities the Co-op had organised.

A lot of people were doing the trail and when they found Pepper Pig and saw the many activities going on, they stopped at the Education Centre to join in with the fun – getting two for one!

“Thank you to the Co-op once again for their support. They’re fundraising efforts are really appreciated by everyone at the hospice.”